Landschap met kerk en boerderij 1926

Lodewijk Schelfhout made this print of a landscape with a church and farm sometime in the early 20th century. There is something very satisfying about the process used here, the varying tones achieved by layering marks, like tiny repetitive scratches. Look at the marks that describe the large tree on the left of the image, the cross-hatching that builds up the depth of the trunk, and the way the marks are more spread out to give the impression of light hitting the upper branches. There's a real sense of texture there, I can almost feel the roughness of the bark. The same approach is used in the rest of the image, building up the density of the clouds, the buildings, the fence, everything feels cohesive. This reminds me of the etchings of Whistler, especially in the tonal range and the focus on landscape. Like Whistler, Schelfhout embraces the accidents and imperfections of the printing process, using it to enhance the atmospheric quality of the image.