Untitled (Three Mourning Women) 1947

This woodcut print, "Untitled (Three Mourning Women)" by Hans Jelinek, seems to have been carved into existence. The artist must have taken a gouge to a block of wood, cutting away everything *except* the image. I'm imagining him thinking about the light and shadow, deciding what to keep and what to leave behind. See how the figures are enclosed in the foreground; a mother and child, protected by the presence of two other figures who seem to be watching over them. The faces and hands are angular, almost Cubist, and it's like the artist is channeling the emotional intensity of this moment, cutting it into the wood with a sharp, decisive hand. It makes me think of Käthe Kollwitz, another artist who used printmaking to convey powerful human emotions. The lines are bold and graphic, and the contrast between black and white is stark. What a perfect way to show how the human heart can be strong and vulnerable, all at the same time.