Compositie (Zeilen op een meer) 1915

Jacoba van Heemskerck made this print of sails on a lake most likely with a woodblock. I see a black and white scene of triangles, rectangles, and parallel lines. Was she looking at a regatta? Or perhaps an industrial harbor scene? You can see the sails and reflections of boats in water. They cut through a sharp, almost menacing scene. I wonder, what was Jacoba thinking as she was carving into the wood? Maybe about speed, industry, or an environment that’s both calm and dangerous? I imagine how satisfying it would be to pull the block away and see this image, bold and full of tension. It reminds me of the work of Paul Klee. Artists are in constant conversation, you know, looking and responding to each other across time. In the end, we keep the dialogue of art open to new meanings.