Hoofd van Christus 1928

Lodewijk Schelfhout made this head of Christ as an etching in 1928, look at the way the ink has been used to construct different tones. The face is pale, almost absent, but the hair and beard are solid and dark; this is an art of contrasts. Look closely and you can see the expressive, nervous energy in the marks used to build up these features. There’s something almost comical in the way the beard and hair surround the stillness of the face. The crown of thorns looks more like some badly made basket, there is a kind of folk art sensibility at play here. I find myself thinking of Picasso’s drawings from the early 20th century, there's a similar reduction of form. Both artists allow us to see the subject anew. In this print, Schelfhout prompts us to meditate on suffering and transcendence. It is interesting to consider how the tools and techniques of printmaking allow artists to explore these themes of reproduction and meaning.