Amstel bij Abcoude 1924

Louis Cardinaals made this print of the Amstel near Abcoude using etching. See how the marks almost vibrate? I love how Cardinaals' lets the etched line do so much work. The image is built up from simple strokes, but it's never exactly simple. It’s very economical! Take the horizontal lines over the water, and how they get broken up and stuttered to create this sense of reflection and movement. Then, compare those to the marks describing the clouds; they feel very different. It's like a whole visual language made of tiny variations. It makes me think about what Giorgio Morandi was able to do with simple bottles. Artists like that, like Cardinaals, remind us that simplicity can be a deep dive, not a shallow end. Art is all about seeing what can be done.