Landschap met bomen en stormachtige lucht 1877 - 1950

Barbara Elisabeth van Houten made this landscape with trees and stormy sky using etching. It’s a small world, isn’t it? What grabs me here is the raw, immediate process. Look at the sky – all those frantic lines, like the engraver was trying to catch the wind itself! It’s not about perfect representation; it’s about feeling the weather, the drama of the moment. The texture is amazing. You can almost feel the burr of the etching, the little imperfections that make it real. The sky is pure energy, while the trees in the midground provide a kind of still contrast, making the sky even more tumultuous. Notice how the darks and lights play off each other – it’s a masterclass in monochrome emotion. Van Houten reminds me of other landscape etchers like Hercules Segers, who weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty and let the process be visible, inviting us to feel the storm within the landscape and within ourselves.