Fireworks
1901
Imagine standing in a crowd, neck craned upwards, watching the night sky light up—that's exactly the vibe Félix Vallotton captures here. Created in 1901, this woodcut doesn't show the fireworks themselves, but rather a sea of ghostly, upturned faces staring into the darkness. The 'explosions' are just wavy white lines, forcing us to read the spectacle through the wide-eyed, almost mask-like expressions of the people below. It's a brilliant example of how Vallotton used stark black-and-white contrasts to depict modern life with a touch of psychological distance.
- Technique
- Woodcut