Ondergelopen weilanden bij een dijk 1867 - 1935

Here's this small print of flooded meadows by Maurits van der Valk, made with etching. I see a landscape that’s both there and not there. The light seems to dissolve things, like memory. I wonder if van der Valk felt a bit like a magician, coaxing these soft shapes out of a metal plate with acid, bit by bit. It’s like trying to catch mist with a net, isn’t it? You can almost feel the cool, damp air rising from the water. The lines are so delicate, they remind me of whispers. Did he stand there for hours, watching the water creep higher and higher? It’s not about capturing a perfect scene. It's like the feeling of a place, a fleeting moment of quiet wonder, more than anything else. Artists are always looking, borrowing, and riffing off of each other, and there's always something new to be found in the old.