Drie katten 1916

Julie de Graag made this woodcut, with the title *Drie katten*, sometime around 1916. I love the graphic quality of this little print! It's so direct. The contrast between the ochre-colored cats and the black background really pops, doesn't it? The way they’re lined up feels so formal and funny—like a lineup but for cats. It makes me think about what De Graag was going for. Was she just into cats? Or was she trying to capture something about how we see them, their aloofness and independence? You can feel De Graag considering the surface, the materiality of her medium. I imagine her thinking about what the different tones would do, how they could create different moods. De Graag is part of a larger conversation, playing with the same questions as other artists. It's kind of amazing to think about artists having this silent, ongoing discussion through their work.