Waringin 1919

Curator: This woodcut, titled "Waringin," was created in 1919 by Johannes Frederik Engelbert ten Klooster. Editor: Wow, it has such a dramatic, almost brooding presence. The black and white is so stark, creating a very strong sense of contrast and texture. The waringin tree dominates the composition like some kind of ancient, watchful spirit. Curator: Yes, the waringin, or banyan tree, is often considered sacred across parts of Southeast Asia. Its roots that drop down from its branches symbolize connection to the earth, to ancestors, representing a life-giving force. Look how the artist uses the woodcut technique to emphasize these root tendrils—it’s almost like strands of fate. Editor: I get that feeling. They resemble curtains almost, obscuring something, some deeper mystery. Also the geometric clouds seem deliberately stylized like this isn't simply an imitation of reality but something much more complex with deliberate symbolic arrangement. Curator: It’s definitely not photorealistic. The influence of Art Nouveau is palpable, isn't it? See how lines flow and curve, giving the landscape a stylized energy. There's something dreamlike and almost fantastical in the composition. Editor: Right, and the scale is really interesting. That foreground foliage looks positively prehistoric compared to the suggestion of human scale beyond the central tree. It evokes a sense of deep time. Curator: Indeed. And note the artist's control over the medium. Woodcut prints require great precision and forethought because every line that's removed from the woodblock becomes the white space of the image. The whole scene is almost inverted to allow the landscape to come to light. Editor: Absolutely. And somehow, despite the heavy blacks, it feels serene, peaceful, a place to meditate, though maybe one you wouldn't enter after dark! What do you make of those figures towards the right there by the waterside? Curator: Perhaps they are guardians or spirits of the tree, they stand between it and that little section of lake there. Editor: A small gateway to some unknown realm... Well, this piece makes me think about the deep stories that landscapes carry, not just in terms of human history but also of our psychological and spiritual projections onto nature. Curator: I agree, it also emphasizes how a landscape can reflect inner states as much as any objective reality. The waringin, the sacred tree, a connection point between worlds seen and unseen.