Der sættes net fra en jolle 1907

Carl Locher made this print called, 'Der sættes net fra en jolle', which roughly translates as, 'Setting Nets from a Dinghy', with etching. Look at how he renders the waves – all those tiny lines going every which way. It's almost abstract, right? But somehow, it totally reads as water, complete with little crests. What I find interesting is the way Locher builds the image from the bottom up. Notice how the strokes become denser as you move down the image towards the foreground? This creates a sense of depth, pulling you into the scene. See the small, indistinct figures in the boat, dwarfed by the vastness of the sea? This is so different to some later seascapes, such as those by Emil Nolde which use vivid, unmuted colours. It's the kind of print that makes you think about the labor of artmaking and the way artists wrestle with materials to bring their vision to life. It’s like a visual conversation, echoing across time.