East Indian Cress (1919 CE)

Julie de Graag gives the nasturtium in East Indian Cress an intensity that far exceeds its small scale. The blooms press forward through bold contour and vivid color, at once decorative and closely observed. Rather than treating the flower as a mere ornament, de Graag turns it into a compact study of movement, structure, and vitality, showing how a familiar garden plant could become a striking modern image.

A Flower Recast in Woodcut

Created in 1919, East Indian Cress reflects the broader Art Nouveau fascination with organic form and stylized design. De Graag, who was associated with the Hague art world and the Haagse Kunstkring, worked within an artistic climate that valued nature as both subject and source of formal invention. She was also in dialogue with figures such as Jan Toorop, whose work helped shape the decorative and graphic possibilities of Dutch modernism. This print was made from three separate woodblocks, used to layer black, red, and orange into a tightly structured yet lively composition.

A Personal Motif in Bloom

An especially telling detail is that de Graag signed the work herself, underscoring its place within her carefully shaped body of graphic work. Flowers recur throughout her art, and that sustained return to botanical subjects suggests more than decorative interest alone. Even while contending with mental health struggles, she remained deeply committed to her craft, and natural forms offered her a subject through which observation and emotional restraint could meet.

The choice of nasturtium may also have carried a personal resonance. Its associations with resilience, vigor, and growth have sometimes been noted, and while such symbolism should be treated cautiously, the flower’s forceful presence here makes it feel like more than a neutral specimen.

Between Botanical Clarity and Art Nouveau Rhythm

Within the artistic culture of early 20th-century Europe, East Indian Cress stands as a fine example of Art Nouveau’s admiration for the natural world. De Graag stylizes the plant without losing its recognizability, balancing botanical specificity with flowing design. That interplay is central to the print’s appeal: the nasturtium remains a real flower, but it is also transformed into a rhythmic pattern of curving leaves, petals, and stems.

The plant itself had a place not only in gardens but also in the symbolic language attached to flowers, where it could suggest courage or patriotic feeling. Whether or not those associations were central to de Graag’s intention, the work clearly bridges close natural observation and a broader decorative imagination, giving the flower both visual immediacy and cultural resonance.

Printed in Black, Red, and Orange

The print is a woodcut executed in black, red, and orange, printed from three woodblocks. The sheet measures 14.4 by 15.6 cm (5.67 by 6.14 inches). The careful layering of color demonstrates de Graag’s control of the medium, whose crisp edges and strong contrasts suited her graphic sensibility especially well. In a work of such modest dimensions, that precision is essential, allowing the composition to feel both clear and richly alive.

From Family Hands to the Rijksmuseum

East Indian Cress was gifted to the Rijksmuseum in 1935 by G.A. de Graag, likely a relative of the artist. Since then, it has formed part of the museum’s public domain collection.