Gezicht van kasteel Overschie bij Grimbergen 1967

This etching, *Gezicht van kasteel Overschie bij Grimbergen* by B. Housa is super precise, like a meticulous sketch you might find in an architect’s notebook, and gives the impression of a really painstaking process. Look at the facade of this château, the lines are so clean and crisp, it's almost architectural. The artist has used hatching to indicate shadow and volume, and this creates an interesting tension between representation and abstraction. But notice, too, the foliage that creeps in around the stern geometry of the building, softening the edges. It’s these passages that bring the image to life, preventing it from feeling too sterile or clinical. The contrast between the formal structure and the organic forms is really engaging. It reminds me a little of Piranesi, who also worked with architectural subjects, but whose prints are often much more dramatic and theatrical. Whereas this feels calmer, more measured, more… Belgian! It’s a reminder that art is always a conversation, with artists building on the ideas of those who came before, and responding to their particular time and place.