Studieblad met schelpen 1887 - 1924

Julie de Graag made this study of shells, using pencil, pen and brush, probably at her home in the Netherlands. It's incredible to consider how she might have found these shells, perhaps wandering along the beach, turning them over in her hand, noticing their shapes and textures. I can imagine Julie de Graag in her studio, carefully arranging her finds on a table, pausing, observing. With what kind of attentiveness did she look at each shell, trying to capture their essence on paper? There's something quite beautiful about this close looking, don't you think? It's as if she is trying to understand the world, one shell at a time. It reminds me of Morandi, the way he kept painting the same bottles over and over, always searching, always questioning. Making art is a process of trying to capture the world, and that is what connects us as artists.