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  Against the Grain: Woodcuts from the Collection > History of the Woodcut > 20th-Century Experiments
 
 
Paul Gauguin (French, 1848-1903). <I>Eve,</I> 1898-99; woodcut. John L. Severance Fund 1991.158<BR>
Paul Gauguin (French, 1848-1903). Eve, 1898-99; woodcut. John L. Severance Fund 1991.158

20th-Century Experiments

Traditionally, craftsmen carved the woodblock following an artist's drawing. Paul Gauguin, however, experimented extensively, carving the block himself with an unprecedented boldness and vigor, allowing the pattern of the grain of the block to become an intrinsic part of the composition.

Eve exemplifies how Gauguin attempted to create a universal religion which merged ancient and modern traditions of the East, West, and Oceania. Mixing Christian and Polynesian imagery, Eve's gesture of modesty recalls earlier Christian representations of the Expulsion from Eden, whereas the disembodied hooded head and rat are Tahitian images that symbolize an evil spirit and shadows of ghosts, respectively.

Early in the 20th century, a group of young artists in Germany-where a tradition of woodcut already existed-renewed the medium's use. Although they chose typical subjects, they rebelled against prevailing taste and sought a new freedom in technique, style, and content. Emphasizing subjective personal experience, originality, and immediacy, the German Expressionists cut and chiseled the block aggressively.

Influenced by the directness of execution evident in non-European tribal art, Emil Nolde's Dancers retains the energy and spontaneity of the creative impulse, even seeming to be crude. The material of the matrix is purposely revealed so that the grain of the woodblock prints as a pattern in the background, and lines on the dancers' skirts are uninked, embossing the soft paper.

Emil Nolde (German, 1876-1956). <I>Dancers,</I> 1917; woodcut. Delia E. Holden Fund 1960.158
Emil Nolde (German, 1876-1956). Dancers, 1917; woodcut. Delia E. Holden Fund 1960.158

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