Schuur aan een sloot in Voorburg 1888 - 1934

Willem Adrianus Grondhout made this small etching, 'Schuur aan een sloot in Voorburg,' on paper, and even though we don't know exactly when, it gives off a real turn-of-the-century vibe. There's something immediate and raw in the way Grondhout handled the etching needle. The marks aren't overly precious, they're kind of blunt, like he was really digging into the plate. It's especially visible in the foreground, look at the short, choppy lines describing the land, and the longer strokes suggesting the reflections in the water. It's this tension between the almost brutal directness of the marks and the serene subject matter that gets me. It's like he's trying to capture a fleeting moment, not by smoothing it out, but by grabbing it, rough edges and all. I'm reminded of Whistler, who was a master of this understated, almost off-hand approach to landscape. There's a similar feeling of capturing a specific mood, a particular quality of light, without getting bogged down in detail. It is about feeling, not just seeing.