On The Hill 1960 - 1966

Evelyn Marx created this woodcut print, “On The Hill”, sometime in the 90s. The entire image is composed of stark black and white shapes, a process of carving away, leaving only the design, like some strange theatre backdrop. I love the way Marx uses the stark contrast between the black and white to create the figures and their garments. The seated figure on the left, with the elaborate hat, has a quirky, handmade quality. It's in these details that the character of the artist really shines through. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the block. There’s something dreamlike about the gathering of these figures. It puts me in mind of similar graphic works by the German Expressionist artist, Max Beckmann. This piece really embraces the beauty of ambiguity, and invites us to bring our own interpretations to the scene.