Dorpsstraat 1938

André van Bastelaar made "Dorpsstraat" with etching on paper. I can imagine Bastelaar outside, en plein air, bent over his plate, carefully drawing the village street, the buildings, and the road. I wonder, did he choose this particular viewpoint for its composition? What kind of mark does a needle make on a copper plate? There is something precise about the process and the result: the lines are so fine, but at the same time, it has a sketch-like quality. Like the artist has captured a fleeting moment in time. I feel such kinship with artists like Bastelaar, each of us trying to capture something of the world, of what we see and feel. We are all in conversation, with each other, across time, inspiring each other’s creativity. And painting is a form of embodied expression. There is something so special about its ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.