Paarden 1919

Mommie Schwarz made this print called 'Paarden' or 'Horses' with, I'm guessing, a woodcut. I love this image! I mean, it's blocky, raw, almost primitive in its rendering. You can feel Schwarz hacking away at that wood, right? Just trying to get these horses to emerge, and, for me, it's not about anatomical perfection. It's about the energy, the suggestion of movement. These aren't just horses; they're like... ideas of horses. I get the sense Schwarz was wrestling with something here, trying to capture the essence of these animals in a way that's both abstract and deeply felt. It reminds me of Franz Marc and the Blaue Reiter group and their interest in representing animals. Artists are always looking at each other, aren't they? Like a big conversation. I love that. It's a painting about an attempt, an open gesture, not a closed statement.