Industriële haven met schoorstenen en een toren in het water 1866 - 1910

Frans Hens created this image of an industrial harbor using etching, a printmaking process steeped in craft tradition. The image’s starkness comes directly from the process. Hens would have coated a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant ground, then drawn his composition with a sharp needle, exposing the metal beneath. Immersing the plate in acid would bite away at these lines, creating grooves that hold ink. The resulting print captures the scene's grit, the thin lines mirroring the sharp edges of the industrial landscape. Look closely and you can see the smoke stacks, the hard, utilitarian structures rising from the water, rendered with a directness that reflects the no-nonsense reality of industrial labor. The print is small but dense, with a wealth of visual information efficiently conveyed. By choosing etching, Hens elevates an everyday scene to the realm of art, prompting us to reflect on the relationship between industry, labor, and aesthetics. It challenges us to see beauty and significance in the often-overlooked aspects of our material world.