Young Woman 1957

This black and red linocut titled 'Young Woman' was made by Millicent Krouse. With prints, it’s all about the surface, and how the artist has carved into the linoleum. It's a process of subtraction. See how the solid black ink is so dense it almost looks velvety? That contrast with the bare white paper brings a graphic punch, making the image jump right out at you. Then you notice the second figure, slightly set back and printed in red, perhaps a memory or a figure of fantasy. But what gets me are the hands, so carefully rendered, almost as if they're speaking a language of their own. Krouse, like Elizabeth Catlett, had this way of using simple means to convey complex emotions, making you think about identity, representation, and the stories we tell about ourselves through art. And that, my friends, is where the magic happens.