Watermolen 1878 - 1943

Willem van Konijnenburg made this tiny etching, Watermolen, a study of a watermill, probably at the turn of the century. Look closely, and you can see the network of cross-hatched lines that build up the image, a real testament to the labor involved. You feel Konijnenburg working his way into the image. And what an image. Notice the way he's captured the rough textures of the architecture using only line. See how light and shadow play across the scene, giving depth and weight to the composition? The heavy dark areas push against the lighter ones, like the grays in the sky, making this miniature landscape feel monumental. It reminds me of Piranesi, if Piranesi had a softer, more domestic, touch. It's funny to think of artists looking back in time, taking things from each other. It's like this long, slow, conversation between makers that stretches back centuries, never really ending.