Boten aan een kade in de stad 1899 - 1938

This woodcut of boats on a dock in the city by Georg Schrimpf uses simplified shapes in black and white to create a kind of abstract realism. It's all about the relationships between forms. The way Schrimpf uses the black ink is really striking, almost like a puzzle that’s been assembled in a way that both reveals and obscures the image, where the negative space is just as important as the positive. The textures are also important, especially the lines he uses to represent the ripples of water, and the way the dark shadows of the buildings loom large over the boats. You can almost imagine him carving away at the wood block, each mark deliberate and essential. I can't help but think of the German Expressionists and their interest in printmaking and bold contrasts. But there is also something about the simplified forms and attention to order that feels distinctly Schrimpf's own. There's a calmness here too. The piece invites us to appreciate the beauty of simplicity and the power of suggestion.