There’s a memorable scene in Sam Mendes‘ film Road to Perdition that enclosing the whole plot and can help me tell the story of the work of illustrator Matthew Woodson. It’s the scene of Paul Newman’s murder, the godfather/boss. It’s a highlight that lasts a few seconds: night, a dark road, the boss goes to the car followed by his henchmen. The camera follows them, the sound of the rain, of the steps, lowers until it becomes muffled, then silence, just the soundtrack keep playing. The car door is closed, the driver is dead. Paul looks around, he understands, looks for someone in the dark. A machine gun starts shooting, we don’t hear it but we see the men around him fall, one by one, while the boss remains motionless, from behind, the resigned gaze of those who know and accept the end.
Here, the work of illustrator Matthew Woodson seems to be always characterized by the same pathos, a perfect combination of quiet and tense. Whether it’s an action, a movement, a look. Everything seems to be soaked with this same restlessness calm.
Woodson seems to have a thoughtful eye on the subtle changes and connections that determine the relationships of the characters he portrays. He seems to want to focus on that emotional moment. There is silence in his works, even when he portrays an action scene.
Woodson’s compositions seem like a magnifying glass. You can feel the sweat of his characters in the air. His illustrations are able to convey what in a novel is a narrator’s monologue, they unload the most important emotions, they order them and condense them.
It’s not necessary to show the whole story, moment by moment, but the humanity that makes it alive.
