Drie kraaien 1872 - 1897

Henri-Charles Guérard created this striking woodcut titled "Three Crows," now held in the Rijksmuseum, using stark contrasts of black ink on a light background. The composition is dominated by three crows, each rendered with a dense, graphic style. Guérard's approach emphasizes the structural form of the crows. He uses bold lines and textured patterns to define their shapes, creating a semiotic interplay between representation and abstraction. The uniformity of the crows challenges fixed meanings, engaging with a modernist sensibility that questions traditional perspective. The woodcut medium itself contributes to the artwork's power, with the rough cuts and deliberate marks adding a tactile quality. This artwork's aesthetic is a departure from mere representation, instead functioning as part of a discourse on form, function and the nature of perception itself.