Jo’s Wild Wood 1961

Curator: This is "Jo's Wild Wood" by Anne Said, part of the Tate Collections. Said was born in 1914 and died in 1995. It measures 762 by 540 mm. Editor: My first thought? It feels like something unearthed, a root system exposed. There's a lot of tension in the lines, a delicate balance between decay and resilience. Curator: That tension is central. Said's work often explored themes of nature's power and vulnerability. She lived through two world wars, and those anxieties pervade her artistic approach. Editor: Absolutely, I see that! It's like a battlefield, but on a microscopic scale, all these tiny, furious marks. It's beautiful, but also a bit brutal. Curator: The woodcut medium itself lends to that feeling, doesn't it? Its a very physical process with many steps. Editor: I feel so drawn to the work here, there is so much to discover. Curator: It's a reminder that even in stillness, there's always a story, a history, a life.