Woodcut from The Head
1919
Ernst Barlach's 1919 woodcut, created for his play 'Der Kopf' (The Head), is a visceral explosion of post-WWI anxiety. A giant, wild-haired figure looms over a chaotic pile of writhing, suffering humanity, clutching a scroll like a shield against the madness below. This is German Expressionism at its rawest—Barlach uses bold, jagged black lines to carve out pure emotional agony rather than realistic detail. As a sculptor turned printmaker, Barlach brought a heavy, monumental feel to his 2D work, capturing the collective trauma of a world recovering from the Great War.
- Technique
- Woodcut
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