Schuren in de Binckhorst in Den Haag 1888 - 1934

Willem Adrianus Grondhout made this etching of sheds in the Binckhorst in The Hague. Look at how the cross-hatched lines create tone and texture. Imagine him, bent over the plate, scratching away with his etching needle. You know, the making of any artwork is like trying to catch a feeling—elusive! I wonder what Grondhout was feeling as he etched those lines? Was he trying to capture the industrial feel of the sheds, or maybe something more personal? I love the way the sky is rendered, full of movement and energy. It's like a direct transfer of feeling, and the marks on the plate become a kind of emotional record. Making marks is like thinking. Grondhout is speaking a language here, the language of the hand, of the etching needle, a conversation across time. He's in dialogue with others, with Rembrandt, with the landscape itself. A kind of messy, ongoing exchange.