Inktzwammen 1915

Julie de Graag made this woodcut of Ink Cap mushrooms, sometime before 1924. Isn’t it interesting how limited colours can make a piece sing? She’s worked with stark contrasts of black and white, letting the textures of the wood do a lot of the talking. There's something so evocative about the way she’s rendered these fungi. Look at the tops, all smudged and drippy, capturing that melting, decomposing thing that Ink Caps do so well. They look a bit like melting candles, don’t they? Or maybe sad clowns with runny makeup. The stems are so straight and still, anchoring the whole image, contrasting with the ephemeral tops. De Graag has an interesting relationship to artists like Mondrian, who explored the spiritual in nature. Like his work, she’s showing us how much can be done with so little, embracing the endless possibilities of lines, tones and textures. She leaves plenty of room for our imaginations to grow.