Maraboe 1896 - 1931

Emilius Dehé made this print of a Marabou stork sometime in the first half of the 20th century. Look at how he built this image. The way he lays down these marks, its like he's feeling his way, scratching the surface, letting the bird emerge bit by bit. The texture, the color – it's all about this stark contrast, this push and pull between the dark and the light. It’s like he's carving out the form from the darkness. Then, there's the head of the bird. See those tiny, etched lines? It feels like he’s trying to capture the bird’s essence, not just its appearance. It's more than just a bird; it's a feeling, a mood, a moment frozen in time. This reminds me a little of the work of someone like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, with that same raw, expressive energy. You know, art's just one big conversation, ideas echoing across time.