Untitled (Woman) 1920

Curator: We're looking at Louis Bouché's "Untitled (Woman)," a woodcut print from 1920. Editor: My first impression is of starkness—that contrasting black and white is so immediate and forceful! And there's a fascinating interplay of geometric and organic shapes. Curator: Bouché was very engaged with capturing the energy of urban life, and prints were an accessible medium in the interwar period. His subjects are very often working-class people or everyday city scenes. What do you make of the backdrop he creates here? Editor: It's a fascinating environment. The figure stands in a city scene, with boats and what appears to be construction or industry, but it's all flattened, almost stage-like. The pattern work on the robe that drapes the figure's hip pulls forward because it competes with other details like that strange floating shape with a circular emblem. Curator: Right! It is worth pointing out that this was after he spent time with the Ashcan school. One might even interpret this depiction of the female figure and a kind of fragmented cityscape as commenting on the position of women in urbanizing societies. It emphasizes this very specific moment when many of the older gender roles were challenged, a truly exciting, revolutionary, but sometimes deeply unsettling period. Editor: The woman certainly possesses a quiet strength. Look how the artist positions the eyes. And how effectively he uses just a few lines to imply planes on the figure's face. The way the artist has handled the stark lines is excellent. You feel the force of the cutting tool in every mark, every angle, which emphasizes the subject's power. Curator: Indeed. In those times the Ashcan school movement were increasingly seeking to connect art with a broader audience and highlight themes of daily life in response to rapid industrial and social change. Editor: It really brings into focus a specific historical perspective, and an unusual figure, the female within the modern world, portrayed here as something almost otherworldly. Curator: A brilliant distillation of art and history, if I do say so myself. Editor: I have to agree, a great reminder that technique can communicate just as powerfully as the image itself.