Drie mannen 1874 - 1935

Mathieu Lauweriks made "Drie Mannen" using woodcut; you can tell by the bold contrasts between black and white, and the slightly rough texture that comes from carving into wood. The three men stand shoulder-to-shoulder, austere in their matching robes, and you can see Lauweriks’s geometric style at play. I wonder if he was smiling when he made this. I think maybe so. Look how the figures are rigidly aligned, yet something about them feels alive. The graphic quality is interesting. Lauweriks's exploration of geometric forms reminds me of Hilma af Klint, who was also working with geometry and spiritual themes at the beginning of the 20th century. Ultimately, this work is a part of an ongoing conversation between artists across time, and it's through this exchange of ideas that creativity flourishes, inviting ambiguity and various interpretations, never one single meaning.