Boerderij in de sneeuw 1918

Julie de Graag made this print of a farmhouse in the snow in 1913. The composition is graphic, stark, yet somehow cozy. I imagine Julie carefully carving the woodblock, removing material to let the image emerge from the blank surface. Look how the black lines of the bare trees reach up into the sky, contrasting with the heavy white blanket of snow weighing down the farmhouse roof. There's a quiet tension here, a balance between light and dark, organic and geometric. It reminds me of other early twentieth-century artists like the German Expressionists, who were also exploring the emotional power of stark contrasts and simplified forms. It feels like Julie is inviting us to contemplate the quiet beauty of a winter landscape, to find solace in the simple forms of nature and architecture. Making a print is an embodied act - Julie is literally pressing her mark into the world.