Gezicht op een huis met een boom in Buitenzorg c. 1921

Willem Witsen made this image of a house in Buitenzorg with etching, a printmaking technique that uses acid to cut into a metal plate. The scene is constructed out of many small lines, building up the image through mark-making. It looks like Willem was really thinking about the textures of each of these forms - can you see how the lines build the thatched roof of the house? I wonder, what was it like for him, standing in that scene, looking at the way the light fell across the facade? When I look at it, it reminds me of my own work, playing with the interplay of light and shadow. It’s as though he’s in conversation with artists like Rembrandt, but also paving the way for other painter-printmakers like Whistler.