Ontwerp voor illustratie voor In Holland staat een huis: silhouet van het afgebrande huis 1884 - 1917

This silhouette of a burned house was made by Nelly Bodenheim, who lived from 1874 to 1951. Executed in ink on paper, it is an illustration for the book "In Holland staat een huis." Bodenheim was a master of the silhouette, a cut-paper technique with a long history in folk art, as well as aristocratic portraiture. Here, she has deployed it to dramatic effect. The stark black-and-white contrast heightens the devastation of the scene: a home reduced to a charred shell, smoke rising forlornly into the sky. While the original silhouette tradition required painstaking work with tiny scissors, Bodenheim likely used a sharp knife for this image, allowing for a more fluid and expressive line. The choice of black ink further amplifies the image's stark emotional impact, invoking the darkness of loss and destruction. By embracing this accessible and impactful medium, Bodenheim transcends the traditional boundaries between illustration, craft, and fine art, and vividly communicates the narrative in the book "In Holland staat een huis".