Duinlandschap 2010

Dirck Nab made this intriguing landscape print using black ink on paper. The choice of printmaking immediately connects this work to a history of accessible art, where multiples could be created and distributed widely, unlike unique paintings or sculptures. Looking closely, you can see the textured lines made by the artist to create the image of wind rippling across water. The directness of the marks contrasts with the implied vastness of the scene, a broad vista compressed onto a relatively small sheet of paper. The deep blacks of the ink command attention, giving a stark, almost abstract quality to the work. Printmaking techniques like this have often been associated with graphic design and illustration, fields that straddle the line between art and commerce. The relative ease and economy of the medium allowed Nab to explore landscape in a way that's both aesthetically compelling and rooted in the everyday world.