Illustratie met naakte vrouwelijke heilige staand bij boom bij gedicht in dichtbundel van Paul Verlaine Possibly 1895

This illustration was made by Maurice Denis, to accompany a volume of poetry by Paul Verlaine. It's a wood engraving, a relief process where the artist carves into the end grain of a block of wood, then inks and prints the raised surface. Now, the nature of wood engraving is fascinating. Unlike metal engraving, which allows for very fine, continuous lines, wood resists the tool a bit more. You can see this in the print's bold blacks and whites, and the way the composition is built up through many small hatched lines. Look closely, and you see the artist has allowed the inherent qualities of the material - its grain, its density - to inform the image. Also, consider how the relatively small scale of this image demands a different kind of attention than a painting, a more intimate engagement. It is both art and illustration, high and low, all at once. Ultimately, understanding the material and process helps us appreciate the thoughtful labor, and the nuanced meaning, embedded in this small but powerful image.