Gargantua en deuil de Badebec 1942

This is Bernard Reder’s print "Gargantua en deuil de Badebec," made with woodcut. Just look at that velvety, coarse black ink! I can only imagine Reder, poised with his carving tools, digging into the wood, the smell of wood dust in the air. You know, printing is like reverse painting: you're not adding, but subtracting. Every line is a deliberate cut, a removal of material, to reveal an image. And what does it reveal? A heavy, solid man, monumental even in grief. He seems burdened by loss, doesn't he? His sorrow is palpable, like a heavy cloak. He almost appears trapped in this high contrast, graphic world, where shadow dominates. And yet, this print is full of art historical echoes; Reder is in conversation with other printmakers like Dürer and woodcut masters from across time, proving that art is always a dialogue across centuries. Each artist responds to those who came before.