Afgemeerde schepen in Concarneau 1888 - 1934

Willem Adrianus Grondhout made this black ink print of boats in Concarneau, but when, we don’t know. It's a piece that really shows how much you can do with just a few marks. Looking at the texture, it’s all about the contrast between the solid black of the boats and the light paper. The ink isn’t trying to hide anything; you can see every cut and line the artist made. See the way the reflections in the water are suggested with simple strokes? It's not about perfect representation, but about capturing the feeling of water and light, a dance between clarity and abstraction. The choice of stark black and white emphasizes the formal aspect of the composition and the essential structure of forms. It reminds me a bit of some of the early woodcuts by the German Expressionist Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, but with a quieter, more contemplative mood. It's like Grondhout is inviting us to see the world in a new way, where simplicity and boldness go hand in hand.