Eenden in het water 1887 - 1924

Julie de Graag made this work "Eenden in het water" with ink on paper. I can imagine Julie with her pen, hovering above the paper, watching the ducks and then making swift marks with her hand. You know, it's like she's trying to catch the essence of these creatures with her pen. The ducks, they're just floating along, but she's captured their stillness and movement at the same time. There's something almost childlike about it, a simplicity that speaks volumes. It reminds me of folk art, or even some of Picasso’s line drawings. You look at it and think, oh, I could do that, but you couldn't. It's the artist's eye, the way she chooses what to include and what to leave out. We as artists are always in conversation with each other across time and space. It's like we're all swimming in the same pond, just like these ducks.