Head 1920

Max Weber created this woodcut, titled "Head," which presents us with more than just a face; it offers a glimpse into the artist’s navigation of identity in a rapidly changing world. Weber, an Eastern European Jewish immigrant to America, was deeply engaged with modernism and its dialogue with primitivism. The starkness of the medium—the sharp, unforgiving lines of the woodcut—speak to the raw emotionality of the subject. Is this figure an echo of ancestral roots, or does it represent the fractured self navigating the complexities of a new land? Weber once said, "In art, I love and search for the primitive expression." The heavy brow and elongated features evoke both a sense of profound introspection and a connection to something ancient and enduring. The figure confronts us, challenging our gaze, inviting us to consider the many layers of identity. This piece transforms the personal into the universal. It asks us to reflect on how we carry our own histories within us.