Fotoreproductie van schilderij door Albert Neuhuys 1915 - 1950

This photogravure after a painting by Albert Neuhuys was made by Frederick O. Bemm, but we don't know when. Look at the way the scene emerges from the depths of the fireplace. The limited tonal range is like a memory – hazy, indistinct, yet full of feeling. Bemm’s printmaking captures the texture of the original painting in its halftones. See how the light catches the woman’s apron, or the texture of the woven chairs. It’s all soft focus, and full of implied detail rather than sharp definition. The lack of contrast gives the image an air of melancholy. My eye is drawn to the hearth, a site of warmth and comfort. In the original painting, the flickering fire would have provided the strongest contrast. Here, it’s a soft glow. This photogravure reminds me of the paintings of Whistler. Like him, Bemm transforms a mundane scene into a reverie, a space for quiet contemplation. It's not about the things depicted, but the feelings they evoke.