Sint-Clemenskerk in Watermaal-Bosvoorde 1914

Willem Adrianus Grondhout made this print of Sint-Clemenskerk in Watermaal-Bosvoorde with etching. Isn’t it funny how the most unassuming marks can create a world? Look at the etched lines in the sky, they're so light, they barely kiss the surface, but they give you a sense of atmosphere, of a looming quiet. I am always fascinated by the range of tones you can get in printmaking. See how Grondhout varies the density of the lines to give us both a material sense of stone and the airy feeling of light filtering through branches? It's like he's feeling his way through the scene, letting the needle dance across the plate. It is as if he wants us to see the church not just as a building, but as something alive, breathing with the landscape. This reminds me of Whistler's prints, that same delicate touch, a real sense of mood and atmosphere. It's a reminder that art is never really finished, it’s always in conversation with what came before.