Notre-Dame in Parijs 1888 - 1934

Willem Adrianus Grondhout made this small, potent woodcut of Notre-Dame in Paris, and its bold contrasts make it leap out at you. I can imagine Grondhout wrestling with the block, carving away with real focus. It's all about the architecture looming, the cathedral's reflection in the water, and dramatic clouds looming above, which have all been formed through these potent black marks. You can feel the weather—I wonder if he was trying to capture the atmosphere of a specific day, or a general feeling of the city? The buildings are weighty, permanent, but the scratchy sky feels ephemeral, like a passing thought. This piece reminds me that artists don't exist in a vacuum. There's a dialogue happening, a conversation across time. Looking at other prints from this period, you can start to trace the connections, the ways artists were responding to each other and to the world around them. This piece is full of drama! It's less about the literal depiction, and more about capturing a sense of place, a mood, and a moment.