Composition
Jacoba van Heemskerck van Beest
1914
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Jacoba van Heemskerck van Beest
1914
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This painting looks like a bold, flat design made of thick blocks of color. Bright yellows, greens, reds, and blues sit on a dark background. The shapes don’t quite look like real objects—more like abstract patches. Some areas have a rough texture, while others are smooth. The artist used a printing method that lets color pop sharply against the dark. That’s how woodcut prints often look—ink pressed into carved wood. Want to see more prints like this? Try looking up woodcut.