Stilleven met kruik en almanak Possibly 1912

Julie de Graag made this drawing, ‘Stilleven met kruik en almanak’ with pencil on paper, and the result is a really lovely, quiet still life. I can imagine her poised over the paper, gently building up tone, layer by layer. The jug seems to glow from within thanks to subtle gradations in shade. The newsprint looks so soft and delicate. It reminds me of some of Morandi’s quiet still life paintings, a similar sense of calm and meditative contemplation. De Graag focuses on simple, domestic objects, finding beauty in the everyday. It's almost like she's in conversation with the objects, feeling their weight and mass, translating them with exquisite precision onto the page. You can see how, with careful looking, even the simplest of subjects can become a source of endless fascination and inspiration. The act of close observation is so important to making art, whether drawing, painting, or even writing. We are all standing on the shoulders of giants, learning from each other, inspiring each other across time.