Vrouw met kan en meisje met bezem 1869 - 1936

This etching on paper, Vrouw met kan en meisje met bezem, was created by Theodorus Henricus Kerstel. The composition is a dance of lines, a real choreography, right? Look at how the parallel strokes create form. The dress of the figure on the right reminds me of stacked plates. I wonder what Kerstel was thinking, what kind of conversation was in his head as he scratched those lines into the metal plate. There is a beautiful austerity about this. No frills, no unnecessary embellishments. The composition is so dynamic, like a snapshot of daily life. It reminds me that art doesn't always have to shout to be heard, it can also whisper, inviting us to lean in closer, to really see. Like one artist to another, I feel a connection to Kerstel across the ages, a quiet understanding of the impulse to create. We all borrow from each other, feeding off each other’s energy, trying to make sense of this crazy world one line, one brushstroke at a time.