Gezicht op de achterzijde van de Notre Dame in Parijs 1873 - 1931

This etching of the Notre Dame in Paris was made by Etienne Bosch at an unknown date with unknown materials. It’s all about these tiny marks, isn’t it? Look how Bosch uses them to build up the form of the cathedral. They remind me of Seurat and his pointillism, but here the marks aren’t about color; they’re about texture and light. See how the surface of the water is made up of all these little horizontal dashes? It gives it this shimmering quality, like the light is dancing on the surface. And then you have the cathedral itself, with all its gothic details rendered in these precise, delicate lines. It's so careful. I wonder how long it took him to make this. The whole thing feels kind of obsessive, in a good way. There’s something about the way he’s broken everything down into these tiny components that makes you really see it, you know? Makes you appreciate the craft. It makes me think about Piranesi, but with a softer touch.