Madonna met kind tegen wang 1919

Else Berg made this woodcut called *Madonna met kind tegen wang*, or *Madonna with child against cheek*, working in a stark, graphic style. It’s all about shapes, really, and the way the black ink kind of sits up on the paper. I love how direct this process is. It’s not trying to hide anything. You can almost feel Berg carving away at the wood, deciding what to leave and what to take away. The limited palette forces you to focus on the essential forms, like the gentle curve of the mother’s head as she leans into her child. See how the artist uses the thick, bold lines to create a sense of intimacy and warmth? The cross pattern on the baby's swaddling recalls a medieval style, while the faces peering out from behind the mother and child remind me of Klimt. Ultimately, Berg's woodcut is part of an ongoing conversation about motherhood in art, echoing themes seen across cultures and time periods. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t have to be complicated to be powerful; sometimes, the simplest gestures speak the loudest.