Stilleven met gemberpot, wijnglas en kom 1888 - 1934

This is Stilleven met gemberpot, wijnglas en kom (Still Life with Ginger Pot, Wine Glass and Bowl) by Willem Adrianus Grondhout. Just look at the intense hatching on the glass and pot! I can almost feel the artist, Grondhout, hunched over the plate, scratching away with his needle. The print feels so contemporary, with the dark hatching evoking a sort of photographic, blurred reality. I love the domestic intimacy of this simple still life, like a casual snapshot. It’s almost like he’s just captured the mundane objects sitting on his table. The shadow is so brooding and dark that the objects almost disappear into it. I wonder if Grondhout knew other etchers like Whistler? I imagine them all hanging out, eating cheese, drinking wine and talking about how to create a velvety darkness with nothing but lines. It’s a timeless and beautiful piece.