Alexandru Severin

Alexandru Severin handled clay like a baker kneading dough, fast, warm, and a little messy. He carved graveside portraits on the fly, too, turning news photos of politicians into posters you could pin in a shop window. If you’ve ever seen a quick sketch of a face on a napkin, you’ll get his style: rough edges, quick lines, no fuss.

Look up his 1934 print of I.G. Duca lying in state at the Romanian Athenaeum; it’s not pretty, but it’s honest.