German Relief Block Print No. 18 by Franz Hirsch

Printed in solid black ink on paper, a German relief block print by Franz Hirsch.

The work is built through subtraction rather than addition. Multiple faces emerge from a dark ground, their features defined by spare white lines carved directly into the printing block. Each mark records the movement of the gouge, revealing the artist’s hand through the areas intentionally removed before printing.

The composition layers overlapping profiles and fragmented gazes, creating a sense of quiet conversation between figures that seem to appear and disappear across the surface. Reduced to their essential contours, the faces balance between portrait and abstraction, allowing expression to emerge through the economy of line.

The relief printing technique gives the work a distinctive material presence. The uncut areas of the block transfer a dense field of black ink, while the carved channels remain untouched, producing crisp linear passages that feel both graphic and deeply tactile. Small variations within the printed surface further emphasize the handmade nature of the process.

Franz Hirsch (1924–2010) was a German painter based in Munich whose work reflects the expressive spirit of postwar European modernism. Working primarily in oil, he developed a distinctive figurative style characterized by bold compositions, rich color, and an interest in the emotional qualities of everyday subjects, landscapes, and the human figure.

A founding member of the Free Academy of Munich (Freie Akademie München), Hirsch was an active participant in the city's artistic community and exhibited throughout Bavaria during his lifetime. His diverse body of work was the subject of numerous regional exhibitions, including a retrospective presentation at Galerie Entoderweder in Dorfen in 2009. Today, his paintings are appreciated for their painterly energy, strong visual presence, and balance between abstraction and representation.