De Notenkraker, 27 april 1907 / 1 mei 1907. De drie achten Possibly 1907

This is "De Notenkraker" made on paper in 1907 by Albert Hahn. Look at the linework in this image. It's so clean, precise, but also somehow warm. You can feel Hahn's hand moving, almost meditative, across the page. The way he's divided the composition into these three distinct circles, each depicting a different aspect of daily life is so smart. Work, rest, leisure - it's like he's distilling the human experience into these essential elements. And the flowers too, they speak to a relationship between the individual and wider society. It reminds me a bit of some of the early modernist graphic art coming out of Germany at the time - like the work of Käthe Kollwitz, for example. Not so much in terms of style, but in the shared concern for social issues. Ultimately, "De Notenkraker" invites us to consider the balance between labour, leisure, and rest in our lives. Is it there?