Blocks of Color at the Zimmerli

I'm so grateful to have an art museum on campus.

I have never done or experimented with woodcut printmaking, or printmaking in general, but I have always been fond of it. The group show was interesting, and very diverse, however still maintained a sense of fluidity. Woodcut is a simple technique, which leaves a lot of room for advance and originality. The bold colors and abstract forms of these woodcut prints are what are so appealing to the viewer. Blanche Lazzell, who is the first woman to produce the earliest non-representational print, had an interesting piece call “Cubist Composition,” which embodied white carved outlined that contrasted with the overlapping masses of fragmented blocks. Her work is displayed along with Japanese inspired prints which are organic and representational. One of the Japanese works was by Bertha Lum which was called “Tanabata.” Her work incorporated the traditional elements of Japanese artistry. There was flat color, outlining, and unsympathetic lighting. Another piece of work that caught my attention was the work of Jim Dine. He uses Pinocchio as his subject which is a reference to wood coming alive. Dine breathes life into his woodcuts. Overall, the exhibit was refreshing and I would recommend everyone to see it.