Plant met bloem 1892 - 1951

Janus de Winter made this print of a flowering plant, no date given, using woodcut. It’s just black ink on white paper, but it pops. The shapes are super simplified, really just bold cuts. The way the leaves and fronds are rendered with these parallel lines, it reminds me of the way Elizabeth Murray would build up forms with layers of linework. And then the flower itself is this explosion of spiky, almost aggressive forms. It's like the plant is giving you the side eye. I love the directness of it. De Winter isn't trying to hide anything. You see the grain of the wood, the little imperfections, and it all becomes part of the image. It’s like he’s saying, "Yeah, this is how it’s done. Raw, immediate, no fuss." This reminds me that art isn't about perfection, it’s about process, and embracing the unexpected.