Varken 1923 - 1924

Julie de Graag made this woodcut called 'Varken' – that’s pig in Dutch – at some point in her short life. There’s something so immediate about printmaking, right? You’re carving into a block, wrestling with the material. And here, de Graag has really pared things down. She's gone for the absolute essence of pig-ness using just two colours. The stark contrast is so graphic, it almost feels like a logo. I'm drawn to the little tufts of grass, just tiny flicks of the wrist that add a bit of softness to the image. The whole thing has this raw, almost primitive quality that reminds me a little of Paula Modersohn-Becker. Both artists had this knack for capturing the quiet dignity of everyday life. And they both seemed to understand that art isn’t about perfection, it’s about feeling your way through an idea and leaving a trace of that process on the surface. De Graag’s pig feels totally resolved, but leaves plenty of space for the imagination.