Souterrains aan een kade 1898

Gerrit Haverkamp made this small print, ‘Souterrains aan een kade’, using etching - an intaglio printmaking technique, which uses acid to cut into a metal plate, which is then inked to create a print. Here, the network of etched lines that create the image are almost like a kind of architectural drawing. Look closely and you can see the way that the lines define the textures and forms of the quayside and buildings. Notice how Haverkamp manipulates the weight and spacing of the lines to describe the heavy stone blocks, wooden supports, and the lapping water. The way the image is constructed, through labor-intensive mark-making, gives us a clue about the labor of the people who originally built this place. This is no grand architectural vista, but a carefully observed scene of work in progress. Ultimately, this modest print shows that even the most everyday scenes can be elevated through careful attention to materials, process, and context, blurring the lines between fine art and craft.