Standing Nude 1919 - 1920

Max Weber made this woodcut, Standing Nude, probably sometime in the first half of the 20th century. Just imagine Weber, carving into the block of wood with his tools, making those assertive lines and shapes. It must have been very physical, a kind of dance. The figure is so stylized and simplified, almost like a primitive sculpture. I wonder what Weber was thinking about when he made this? Was he looking at African art, or maybe even ancient Greek sculpture? You can really feel the grain of the wood in the final print. It adds a kind of roughness and texture, which really makes the image pop. The wood’s texture almost adds another layer of meaning, a connection to the natural world. There's something very direct and honest about the way Weber approached this subject. It’s like he’s stripping away all the unnecessary details to get to the essence of the form. It's a reminder that artists are always building on the ideas of those who came before. Each generation learns from, and then pushes back against, the one before.