Winterlandschap met molen 1940

A. Marchal created this small woodcut, Winterlandschap met molen, capturing a winter landscape with a windmill. The whole thing is rendered through an approach to mark-making that emphasizes the process, the cuts into the wood that then create a print. The textures are front and center, from the furrows in the snow-covered fields to the choppy, nervous lines that make up the sky, giving the whole scene a slightly unsettling feel. The contrast between the stark black lines and the paper creates a strong visual impact, drawing you into the stark, cold scene. Take a look at the sky – the way the lines are so close together and frantic, it almost feels like the sky is pressing down on the landscape. And then, those bare trees in the background, like scratchy marks on the horizon. You might see a connection between this woodcut and the work of someone like Emil Nolde, who used a similar method to capture the raw emotion of a scene, both hinting at the potential for art to express more than just what you see.