Koeien in een landschap 1938

Bernard Essers made this black and white woodcut, "Cows in a Landscape," the old-fashioned way, carefully carving away at the block with sharp tools. I love imagining the thought process behind it! There's a real back and forth when you're making a print, trying to decide what to keep and what to leave out. The contrast in this print feels very dramatic and heavy. I can imagine the artist thinking a lot about light, carefully considering what to carve away to let the light come through. It reminds me a little of the German Expressionists, like Kirchner or Heckel. They were also into woodcuts and exploring strong emotions with rough, carved lines. I really like the pattern of the foliage and the clouds, and how the cows are almost abstracted, simple shapes in the composition. Artists are always looking at each other's work and finding new ways to say something.