Oerwoud op Java 1902 - 1906

Wijnand Otto Jan Nieuwenkamp made this etching of the Java jungle sometime around 1902. Look at those deep blacks, and the stark whites of the page shining through! I imagine Nieuwenkamp hunched over a plate, carefully etching lines, building up this vision of the jungle. He’s there, right? Sweat probably dripping from his brow as he incises each delicate line into the metal. The light flickers through the canopy, landing on a strange clearing. All these curling shapes and textures, that's Java for you! And I am getting a kind of Rousseau vibe – that vision of lush, faraway places. The whole thing is like a little jewel, isn't it? These artists, they're always looking, borrowing, and transforming. We’re all just chatting to each other across time. It's exciting, isn't it? We get to keep the conversation going.