Zittende kat met gesloten ogen 1917

Julie de Graag made this small woodcut of a seated cat with closed eyes sometime before 1924. De Graag was a Dutch artist who moved within circles of the avant-garde in the Netherlands and Germany. De Graag lived and worked at a time when women were fighting for suffrage and greater equality. She, like many women artists, was pushing boundaries and exploring new ways of seeing and representing the world. This print, with its simplified form and quiet intimacy, reflects a modern sensibility. Instead of portraying the cat in a traditional, realistic manner, de Graag captures the essence of feline serenity in just a few lines and blocks of color. The choice to depict a cat, an animal often associated with domesticity and femininity, is also interesting. Perhaps de Graag is reflecting on the quiet power found in the domestic sphere. Or maybe she’s simply inviting us to appreciate a moment of simple, shared peace.