Coquette 1934

Agnes Miller Parker made this print, called ‘Coquette’, in 1936. It's a wood engraving, and the mark-making is just so precise! The whole image is a contrast of light and dark, built up with such fine, meticulous lines. Look at the way she's described the fur on that cat with tiny flicks of the tool. It's incredible! And then there’s the orchid. It's almost predatory, looming over the cat, but the cat seems totally unfazed, like it knows something we don’t. I can’t help but think of other printmakers, like Kathe Kollwitz, who used the medium to express such powerful emotions. With Parker, there is a similar intensity in the detail but directed more at the natural world. This piece really shows how a simple black and white image can be so rich and full of life.