Boerenwoningen 1905 - 1964

Hendrik Weegewijs made this etching, Boerenwoningen, sometime in the early 20th century, maybe with a ground of wax and a needle, and then dunking the plate in acid to bite it. It’s a collection of what appear to be farm buildings, but what interests me is all those etched lines that create shadows and give a sense of light. I bet Weegewijs was interested in light too, and how it defines form, and how to capture it in a two-dimensional image. He probably stood in the cold with his etching plate, squinting at the buildings. I like to think about the decisions he made, the lines he chose to emphasize, the areas he left blank. There's a definite back and forth. I’m sure he was looking at Rembrandt, at the way he made an entire world out of cross-hatching. He probably looked at other etchers too – it's all one big conversation. That's what art is, after all, a long, meandering discussion across time.