Walpurgisnacht 1953

Editor: So, this is "Walpurgisnacht," a woodcut print created in 1953 by Irving Amen. The stark blacks and whites give it a really dramatic, almost unsettling feel, doesn’t it? It's really dynamic, with a lot going on… What jumps out at you when you look at it? Curator: What grabs me first is the raw energy—it's like catching a glimpse of a hidden ritual, a world teeming just beneath the surface. There's a distinct emotional vibration that reminds me a little of German Expressionism, that embrace of primal and powerful feelings. It's the "night of the witches," a really fertile concept. Do you get any sense of narrative in amongst that abstraction? Editor: I think I see figures, maybe animals? But it's hard to tell exactly what they are, they almost blend together, like they’re part of the same dark mass. The symbolism seems kind of… occult? Curator: Absolutely! I find it useful sometimes to approach it like a piece of music—thinking about rhythm, volume, counterpoint— rather than a representation of something 'real'. It's that layering of textures, that interplay of light and dark, those nervous little scratches, like raw nerves exposed—that creates this feverish energy. The stark contrasts contribute to its haunting character. It's as much about feeling as it is about seeing, don’t you think? Editor: Definitely. I initially focused on trying to decode the image, but I see now that feeling the energy is really key. Curator: Yes! Sometimes, the real story isn't what's depicted, but what’s evoked. Thanks for helping me remember that today. Editor: Absolutely, my pleasure!