Portrait of a Man 1919

Erich Heckel made this woodcut print, Portrait of a Man, and it’s all about process. You can really see the grain of the wood coming through in the man’s green face, and in the ochre and blue planes behind him. There’s something so immediate about printmaking. It’s like a stamp – a direct impression of the artist’s hand. The lines are sharp and angular, especially around the eyes and mouth, giving him a slightly unsettling look. And the way he’s got his hands clasped under his chin makes him look kind of pensive, maybe even a little worried. There’s a raw energy to this piece, a kind of roughness that reminds me of Kirchner. But Heckel brings his own sensibility – a sense of vulnerability, even. It feels like we’re catching a glimpse of something private, something real. And for me, that's what art is all about.