Ferdinand Hodler 1904

This woodcut, Ferdinand Hodler, was made by Emil Orlik around 1905. Look at how Orlik uses a limited palette to create such a detailed portrait. It's all about the contrast between light and shadow. For me, this says a lot about how Orlik approached artmaking as a process of reduction and simplification. Check out the texture in Hodler's beard and hair; it's almost like Orlik is trying to capture the wildness and unruly nature of his subject. You can almost feel the scratchiness of the woodcut, the way the ink sits on the paper. And there's something about the way Hodler is looking off into the distance that makes you wonder what he's thinking about. Is it about art? Is it about the world? I guess we'll never know, right? There's a connection between Orlik and artists like Edvard Munch, who explored similar themes of existential angst and human emotion in their work. Ultimately, art is an ongoing conversation.