Twee boomstammen 1892 - 1951

Janus de Winter made this print, Twee boomstammen, which translates as two tree trunks, using woodcut, a process that feels as old as the trees themselves. What strikes me is the way the artist uses a limited palette to create such a tactile experience. The dense blacks carved out to reveal the stark white of the paper create a push and pull, a kind of visual vibration that animates the scene. Look at how the wood grain mimics the texture of bark, it’s like the artist is inviting us to run our hands over the rough surface. The roots tangle and spread, a chaotic network rendered with sharp, decisive cuts. It reminds me of the graphic work of someone like Emil Nolde, who similarly used the woodcut technique to explore the raw energy of nature. It is this embrace of the imperfect, the handmade, that makes the print so compelling, it is the process made visible.