Reforestation (center panel) 1935

Helen West Heller made this bold woodcut print, "Reforestation," probably around 1935. The black and white gives it a graphic punch that feels both modern and like something from an ancient storybook. Check out how Heller uses simple shapes to build complex scenes. The figures are planting, right? But their bodies are puzzles of sharp angles and repeating patterns. It's almost like she's not just showing us *what* they're doing, but *how* – the hard labor, the rhythm of the work. That’s what grabs me: the way she turns something as straightforward as planting trees into this wild, geometric dance. Her work reminds me of early twentieth century German Expressionist woodcuts, like those of Käthe Kollwitz, where the rawness of the medium really conveys emotional truth. But Heller's got her own thing going on, a real sense of playful experimentation. The image is a reminder that art doesn't need to be realistic to be powerful.