Waringin met boomhut in het zuiden van Bali 1908 - 1909

Wijnand Otto Jan Nieuwenkamp made this print, Waringin met boomhut in het zuiden van Bali, around 1908. I love the crazy detail of this print! Look at how the tree’s many roots, vines, and branches become this incredibly dense latticework of marks. It makes me think about how we perceive nature: do we see the forest or the trees? The Balinese landscape beyond is barely visible, almost suffocated by the immense tree and the artist’s mark making. The eye is immediately drawn to the treehouse, perched precariously among the upper branches, the addition of this man-made structure gives the print a playful twist. Nieuwenkamp wants us to understand this gargantuan tree is also a home. Nieuwenkamp’s work reminds me of that of M.C. Escher. There’s a similar interest in perspective and detail, as well as a shared sense of visual trickery.