Studieblad met schelpen 1887 - 1924

Julie de Graag made this study sheet with shells using what looks like graphite. I love how she lays out the shells, as if arranging characters in a play! There's a real sensitivity to the way light falls and shapes them, which gives the whole composition a soft glow. I find myself lingering on the shell in the upper right. Look at the delicate way De Graag uses line to capture the spiraling form. The shading is so subtle, it almost feels like she's breathing life into the shell. It reminds me a bit of Morandi’s still lives, how he turned simple objects into these monumental, quiet poems. Both artists shared the quality of close observation, and a desire to find the sublime in everyday things. It makes me wonder, what else can we see if we really look?