De steiger aan de Maas 1888 - 1934

Willem Adrianus Grondhout made this etching of the 'Pier on the Meuse' with a whole lotta lines, like he was scribbling with a needle on a plate. I can just imagine the way he would have scraped away at the metal, trying to capture the hazy, industrial feel of the port! The composition is amazing. It's so wide and narrow, like a letterbox. The etched lines create a sense of depth and texture. They're almost vibrating off the surface! Grondhout's a master of suggestion. You can almost smell the river and hear the clanging of the ships. I wonder if he was thinking of Whistler when he made this. They both loved those moody, atmospheric scenes. Artists, you know, they're always talking to each other across time, riffing off each other's ideas. It's a beautiful conversation, really.