Maastricht before 1931

This is an etching of Maastricht by Etienne Bosch. The image has been built up through many, many tiny linear marks. It’s not trying to be precious, or beautiful. Bosch seems more interested in process than product. The architecture on the right-hand side of the image is rendered with tight, repetitive lines, as though he’s trying to get to the essence of the architecture itself. There’s a real push-pull between line and form here. The lines describe the buildings, but they also flatten the image. Look at the way he uses the lines to create a sense of depth, suggesting the recession of space and the fall of light. I see a kind of kindred spirit in the graphic work of someone like Van Gogh. You know, both artists seem to really enjoy drawing as a way of thinking. It’s like the image is being built as much in the mind as on the plate. I love the ambiguity that etching offers, it's more of a suggestion than a concrete depiction.