Boerderij aan het water 1896 - 1931

This print, Boerderij aan het water, a waterside farm, by Emilius Wilhelmus Dehé, looks like it was rendered in ink, probably with etching or engraving. It gives you that shimmery dark gray effect. I imagine Dehé outside on a cloudy day, squinting at the scene. The challenge of creating such a detailed image without color! Look at the tree, how the lines swarm and coalesce into the form of branches, leaves, and bark. And then that lovely, sleepy, ramshackle building behind. Did you notice the bench or raft in the foreground? I didn’t at first! The whole thing has a kind of intimate, hushed feel. Dehé was working in the early 20th century, a time when artists were really exploring the possibilities of abstraction. You can see that influence here, in the way he simplifies and distorts the scene. This image invites you to slow down, pay attention to the details, and appreciate the beauty of the everyday.