Adam en Eva before 1931

Else Berg made this print of Adam and Eve, we don't know when, using a woodblock. I love how stark it is, just black and white, no messing around. Berg's got this great way of carving, it's so direct, like she's wrestling with the wood. Look at Eve's braid, and the serpent - those lines are so clear and definite, yet full of life. The way she uses the negative space too, that white popping out against the black, really makes the whole scene jump out at you. The textures created by the woodblock process—the little nicks and grooves—give it a handmade feel. It reminds me of the German Expressionists, like Kirchner or Heckel, but with its own, very distinct voice. Like them, Berg is more interested in expressing feeling than in realistic depiction, it's rough, it's raw, and it's absolutely captivating.