The Avenger of His Honor 1907

Moriz Jung made this woodcut, 'The Avenger of His Honor' sometime between 1900 and 1915. Just look at how he embraces the limitations of the form! The surface is really alive, isn’t it? The black ink is super dense, it really sits on the paper, while the red seems thinner, like the woodblock itself might have been thirsty. The black and white section in the middle is so economical, so bold, I love the way he uses the blood running down the arms to add a splash of color into the monochrome area at the top. The contrast between the different planes of color make my eyes dance. This guy was clearly looking at Edvard Munch. Maybe its the stark color palette, or the flattened perspective, but the emotional intensity is just as high! Ultimately, for me, the work is all about this feeling, it’s not so much about the image, or what it means.