Figuur in een bos bij nacht 1869 - 1937

Anton L. Koster made this image of a figure in a forest at night, probably with etching or engraving techniques, conjuring dense, dark foliage punctuated by a central gap of bright moonlight. I imagine Koster peering through a veil of night, trying to capture the feeling of being enveloped by the forest. He must have felt the weight of the darkness. Notice how he uses delicate lines to suggest the density of the trees, the way they tangle and reach, obscuring the light. It reminds me a bit of those Whistler nocturnes – that subtle, almost ghostly quality. The figure is almost hidden, as if swallowed up by the landscape. You have to ask, are they lost? Are they hiding? Is this a painting about being alone in nature?