Studieblad met schelpen en een zeepaardje 1887 - 1924

Julie de Graag made this study of shells and a seahorse with a pencil on paper. Just imagine her, bent over these strange treasures from the sea, trying to capture their forms. I know the feeling when you're trying to really *see* something in order to draw it, like, actually see it for the first time, not just glance and assume you know what's going on. Look at how she's used line to create volume and texture! The shells almost seem to glow from the soft light. I’m also struck by the emptiness, that unadorned background. This makes me think of other women artists who did botanical illustration, but without all the usual lush detail of leaves and foliage. It brings a certain abstract quality to the piece, where the shapes exist almost in a world of their own, not quite real but full of dreamy, gentle wonder.