Studie van een dennenboom 1922

Mia Bake made this etching, a ‘Studie van een dennenboom’, which translates as ‘Study of a pine tree’, sometime in the early 20th century. It's all about the beauty of repetition, don't you think? Look at how the tree’s branches reach out, a bit like arms, covered in clusters of needles. It’s like she’s trying to capture every single needle, but of course, that’s impossible. What she does instead, is give us a sense of the tree’s texture, this incredible tactile surface. Those darker marks clustered together give it a furry, dense quality. There's a real sense of touch in the image, you can almost feel the rough bark and soft needles. She’s really playing with light and shadow, using it to create depth and volume. And in that sense, it is reminiscent of the drawings of Hilma af Klint, who was also obsessed with trees, and nature as something deeply spiritual. For me, this piece is about seeing the extraordinary in the everyday.