Vier populieren voor een huis 1887 - 1924

Julie de Graag made this print of four poplars before a house, probably around the 1910s, using etching techniques. There's an energy here – I can see the hand that made it, the movement of her arm across the plate. I imagine her, bending over the metal, scratching away with fierce concentration, trying to get the textures of the trees just right. It’s a symphony of marks. The house is solid, grounded. But those poplars? They reach up, almost desperately, toward something beyond. She probably worked on it bit by bit, maybe getting frustrated and walking away, then coming back with a fresh eye. I think it's about how artists build on each other, how one person's exploration becomes another's jumping-off point. It's like we're all in this big conversation, trying to figure out what it means to be human, one mark at a time.