October 1917

Julie de Graag made this little woodcut called ‘October’ in 1917. Look at the way she coaxes such delicate lines from a block of wood, it's like she’s thinking through the material, feeling her way into a process. There’s a lovely contrast between the velvety, dark background and the pale forms of the fungi, each line so carefully considered. See how the texture isn't just on the surface, it feels like it's embedded, part of the very structure of the print. It’s especially evident in the caps of the mushrooms, each line a tiny echo of the mushroom's gills. It reminds me of the kinds of drawings Agnes Martin made, where the delicacy of each line is all the more profound when it comes from something so solid. De Graag's work shares something of the graphic style of Edvard Munch, a similar interest in the expressive potential of printmaking. It’s like she’s whispering secrets about the hidden beauty of the natural world, inviting us to listen closely.