Noah at the Table

One Book One Northwestern, 2023–24

One of Chicago’s most prominent printmakers in mid-20th century Chicago, Max Kahn often drew from domestic life, home and family, for his subject matter. Kahn was married to artist Eleanor Coen, whose work is also in The Block’s collection; their children Katie and Noah became his frequent subjects in the 1950s. Noah at the Table is rendered in large patches of color and thick black lines. The print is vibrant and bright, reinforcing a sense of childhood innocence in its bold use of colors. The child is young and small but fills the frame of the print even though his head only reaches the top of the chair. Kahn captures the comfort of mealtime, a life-sustaining expression of love and care that is almost so ordinary it barely gets noted.

In Crying in H Mart, the idea of nourishing our loved ones, whether it is one’s child or a parent who is ill, is a simple but impactful gesture. As Zauner recalls in Crying in H Mart, food was “how my mother loved you, not through lies and constant verbal affirmation, but in subtle observations of what brought you joy, pocketed away to make you feel comfortable and cared for.”