Keizerpinguin op audientie c. 1927 - 1937

Theo de Vries made this print, Keizerpinguin op audientie, using woodcut techniques. The penguins stand out, black and white. They're in a line, like they’re at an audience, or a meeting. I think about the black lines that shape these penguins. They’re not just lines; they create form, texture, and weight. And the white spaces in between, they’re not empty, they're full of light. I imagine Theo, carving away at the wood, each cut a decision. Maybe they thought about other printmakers who came before: woodcutters in Japan, the German Expressionists. Each mark is so deliberate. There is a conversation happening here, between the artist and the material, and between artists across time. That’s what making art is all about.