Alm in Ober-Oesterreich 1906

Reijer Stolk made this linocut, "Alm in Ober-Oesterreich," with inks in bold, primary hues. I can imagine him carving and printing this block, maybe in a little studio piled high with tools. It's all about the lines, baby. The composition pulls me in – it's so direct and stylized! You've got these mountains in the background – lavender and rugged – that kind of flatten and become these cool decorative shapes, right? And then your eye is lead down to the foreground and this rustic gathering. It's a vibrant scene, full of life! I wonder what Stolk was thinking about as he worked. I bet he saw some Ernst Ludwig Kirchner back in the day; there's something raw and honest in his strokes that make me think about other expressionists, too. There's an energy to the piece, a kind of joyous vibe. It's like he's capturing a moment in time, celebrating nature and human connection. That’s what art is all about, right?