Landschap met een wetering 1846 - 1863

This landscape with a ditch, was made by Hendrik Adriaan Christiaan Dekker, likely in the mid to late 19th century. It's an etching, a printmaking process that relies on acid to bite lines into a metal plate, traditionally copper or zinc. The plate is then inked and run through a press, transferring the image to paper. The striking tonal range here depends entirely on Dekker's technical mastery. He would have controlled the depth and width of the etched lines to hold more or less ink, creating the subtle gradations of light and shadow. Look at the sky, with its dense cloud cover, and then down into the still water reflecting it. The texture of the grass and foliage is evoked through a network of fine, precise strokes. Etchings like this were relatively affordable, and multiplied easily; they were a popular way of disseminating imagery to a wide audience. In this case, we have a window onto the Dutch countryside, a place of labor, but also of peace and simple beauty. By giving us this view, Dekker implies a great deal about the values of his time. He helps us to see the landscape and the values of the time.