Vogel met vrouwenhoofd 1894 - 1935

This black ink woodcut of a bird with a woman’s head was created by Mathieu Lauweriks. It's quite a striking image! The dark background really makes the bird figure pop out. I wonder, what was Lauweriks thinking when he was making this? Maybe something about the connection between people and nature? The woman’s serene face on the bird’s body gives it a mystical vibe, like a character from an old myth. And those mountains at the bottom – are they a launching pad, or is the bird emerging from them? I’m thinking Georgia O’Keefe’s bird paintings, how the bird is both a symbol and a form. And what about Hilma af Klint? Was Lauweriks trying to create a symbol with the woman-bird figure too? It's like they're all talking to each other across time. It's amazing how a simple medium like woodcut can convey so many ideas, right? It reminds me that art is just one big conversation where everyone is trying to make sense of the world.