Jongens bij een werkbank 1878 - 1924

Julie de Graag made this woodcut, Jongens bij een werkbank, probably sometime in the early 20th century. Look how she uses just a few, confident lines to suggest the whole scene. It’s like she's carving out space and form with the blade, a real testament to the power of reduction. The contrast between the stark black lines and the white paper creates a kind of graphic energy that jumps right out. Check out the way she renders the figures around the workbench - each has their own distinct posture and gesture. It reminds me a little of woodcuts by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. And see the tools hanging on the wall there? De Graag has a great ability to evoke the realness of this workshop with very little detail, a space for making, a place of labor, but also a place of potential.