Quarry Pool 1936

Arnold Wiltz's "Quarry Pool" from 1936 is a woodcut print, a medium with a long tradition. Think about how this work came into being: the artist carefully cutting away at the block, image emerging through labor and process. I can imagine Wiltz feeling the resistance of the wood under his blade, how it felt to carve those fine lines, the physical work involved to get the effect of light on the water. The texture is created entirely with these linear marks. See how the reeds in the foreground are built up from delicate lines; they almost look like they’re dancing. I wonder if he knew other printmakers of his time, like the German Expressionists? There is an affinity in the way he has used sharp contrasts to convey his emotional response to the landscape. Artists are always in conversation with one another, riffing off each other’s ideas. There's never just one way of seeing or feeling.