Vignet met schoffelende man 1900 - 1942

This tiny woodcut of a man hoeing was made by Jac Jongert. He was a Dutch artist born in the late 19th century. The mark-making here is really striking; it’s all about bold, confident cuts into the wood, creating these graphic black and white shapes. You can sense the artist working through the block, responding to the material and the image in a kind of physical dance. What grabs me is the texture, or rather, the illusion of it. Those dense areas of black ink, the way they contrast with the stark white paper – it’s almost tactile. And look at the way Jongert uses line to suggest form and movement. That single line defining the man’s back, for example, or the energetic strokes that make up the foliage. It’s like he’s channeling the spirit of the Arts and Crafts movement, maybe with a touch of Art Nouveau, reminding us that art is a craft, a skill, and an act of labor.