Drie Aziatische beelden van menselijke figuren 1881 - 1949

Lucie van Dam van Isselt made this etching of three Asian figures using delicate lines and a pared-back palette. I can imagine her, bent over the plate, carefully scratching the surface. It’s such an intimate medium, you know? Look at how the artist captured the essence of each figure with just a few strokes. The texture of the paper, the varying pressure of the line – these create a sense of depth and presence, like a fleeting memory. It's as though we're glimpsing a moment frozen in time, a silent conversation unfolding before our eyes. What were these people thinking? What was she thinking as she rendered them? It reminds me of Whistler's etchings, that same attention to mood and atmosphere, that feeling that the image is almost disappearing before it fully appears. We are all standing on the shoulders of those who came before us, aren’t we? That’s what it means to be an artist: to join that ongoing conversation.