Spring on the Hillside

Wanda Gág was an American printmaker and illustrator whose wood engravings and lithographs combined expressionist formal intensity with narrative clarity. Working primarily in black and white, she developed a distinctive approach to the medium that bridged fine art and children's book illustration, most notably in Millions of Cats (1928). Her prints drew on folk art traditions and German Expressionism, creating densely patterned compositions that conveyed both psychological depth and accessible storytelling. Gág's work established a major precedent for the integration of modernist technique with democratic, non-elite audiences.