Let All Old Scores be Forgotten - Ernst Barlach

A powerful 1927 woodcut by Ernst Barlach, exploring themes of reconciliation and human struggle through bold, high-contrast expressionist forms.

This woodcut, titled Let All Old Scores be Forgotten, belongs to the 1927 portfolio Ode to Joy, created by the German sculptor and printmaker Ernst Barlach. The work demonstrates the artist's characteristic approach to the medium, utilising stark contrasts between black and white to convey emotional weight. Barlach, who was deeply affected by the trauma of the First World War, often explored themes of human suffering, spiritual yearning, and the search for reconciliation in his graphic work.

The composition features a central, cloaked figure that dominates the foreground, its presence imposing and solemn. To the left, a hunched individual is depicted in a state of intense focus or exhaustion, hunched over a large, open book. In the background, smaller figures appear on a staircase, their forms simplified and angular. The woodcut technique is evident in the bold, gouged lines and the rhythmic, almost sculptural quality of the drapery and shadows. Barlach avoids fine detail in favour of expressive, heavy forms that communicate a sense of gravity and existential struggle.

Unlike the more chaotic or jagged aesthetics found in some contemporary Expressionist works, Barlach's style here remains grounded in a sense of monumental form. The figures possess a physical presence that reflects his background as a sculptor. The title itself suggests a desire for peace and the shedding of past grievances, a theme that resonates with the post-war climate of the Weimar Republic. This print is a clear example of Barlach's ability to translate complex human emotions into a simplified, visual language. The starkness of the black ink against the white paper forces the viewer to confront the raw, unadorned nature of the scene, stripped of unnecessary ornamentation.