Straat in Brugge Possibly 1906

This is Martinus van Regteren Altena's 'Straat in Brugge', made with pen and black ink on paper. It's all about the marks, right? Look how he builds up the image, layer after layer, line after line. The surface almost shimmers, all these tiny, restless marks accumulating into a vision of the street. It's like he's not just drawing what he sees, but also thinking about the process of seeing itself. Altena clearly relishes in texture, from the rough, uneven surface of the cobblestones to the weathered walls of the buildings, each mark feels deliberate. There's one area, the roof, where the lines become particularly dense, almost vibrating. It's like a little storm of ink, capturing not just the look of the roof, but the feeling of its age, the weight of time. Looking at this drawing makes me think of Piranesi. Both artists share a fascination with the density and complexity of urban space, finding beauty in the everyday. Ultimately, this drawing reminds us that art is always an ongoing conversation, an open-ended exploration.