Burning the Oquendo 1898 c. 1935 - 1943

Charles Ernest Pont made this dramatic print, titled "Burning the Oquendo 1898," sometime in the mid-20th century, though there's no date given. Look at the way Pont's process embraces the stark contrast of black and white. The marks, so precise, create a frenetic energy. It's all about the cut, the gouge, the deliberate removal of material. There's a tactile quality to it, you can almost feel the textures of the rough seas and billowing smoke. See how the sharp, angular lines of the waves clash with the softer, more rounded forms of the clouds? It's a real push-and-pull, a kind of visual argument. Especially with that one giant wave, looming over the ship, it's almost cartoonish but also terrifyingly real. It reminds me of some of the German Expressionist prints. Artists like Heckel or Schmidt-Rottluff, who also weren't afraid to use that kind of high contrast and dramatic subject matter. It's like art is one big conversation across time, and everyone's just riffing off each other. Pont shows us that art doesn’t have to be gentle to be powerful.