Boerenmeisje 1929

This is ‘Boerenmeisje’ by Jo Bezaan, made as a woodcut sometime in the first half of the 20th century. Imagine the artist carving into that block of wood, carefully removing the material to create this image of a farm girl amidst nature. I wonder what Bezaan was thinking as she carved each line? Was she thinking of form and figure, or trying to capture the way light filters through leaves? You can feel the push and pull of the blade, the give and take of control and accident, can’t you? The thick black lines create a strong contrast against the white paper. It is simple yet expressive. The girl stands in the center, her dress patterned with bold vertical stripes, while the background is filled with dense foliage and a small house. Maybe Bezaan was inspired by folk art traditions. So many artists, from different times and places, have looked to the world around them for inspiration.