Tlaloc 1944

Josef Albers created this print, "Tlaloc," using woodcut, a relief printing method. He cut away at the block’s surface, leaving the design to stand out in relief. When inked, only the raised portions receive pigment, transferring the design to paper when pressed. Albers’s skillful manipulation of the wood grain produces a mesmerizing backdrop. The linear pattern creates an illusion of depth, against which the crisp geometric figures float. The title "Tlaloc," referencing the Aztec god of rain, hints at the work’s deeper cultural significance. Albers was interested in the symbolic language of ancient Mesoamerican cultures, and perhaps saw parallels between industrial processes and pre-Columbian labor, using a highly mechanized printing technique to reference hand-carved monumental sculpture. In this work, Albers asks us to reconsider the boundaries between fine art and craft, between the handmade and the machine-made. The woodcut process, with its inherent connection to labor, and the cultural references embedded in the title, elevate the print beyond mere geometric abstraction.