Huizen en kerktoren 1887 - 1952

Here is Chris van der Windt’s etching of houses and a church tower. The image is made up of tight hatching and cross-hatching marks, creating dark, textural, and tonal contrasts. I imagine Van der Windt working outside, squinting in the sunlight, and trying to capture the essence of this building. I wonder what he was thinking about when he made this? Was he interested in the humble simplicity of the house itself? Or was he thinking about the play of light and shadow on its surface? Maybe he was thinking about the Dutch Masters, and the weight of that tradition? Notice how he uses line to create a sense of depth and volume. The marks vary in thickness and direction, some are bold and confident, others are tentative and fragile. Think of the process of mark-making as an ongoing inquiry, a conversation between the artist and the subject, each one informing the other, pushing the process forward. After all, artists learn from one another, taking inspiration, developing new approaches, and enriching our understanding of the world.