Rijswijk 1637 - 1677

Roelant Roghman’s "Rijswijk," is a detailed etching depicting a Dutch town, made sometime in the mid-17th century. The composition is arranged around the buildings and trees, with the horizon line sitting quite high. This gives the sky an expressive significance. The architecture is rendered with fine lines, which define the structures of the buildings. Note how the light subtly reflects from the sides of the houses. To the left, a cluster of trees frame the buildings, their dark foliage and thin trunks adding a sense of depth. The overall structure invites us to consider the relationship between nature and artifice. The buildings are geometrically organized. The trees create a textured frame. Through their placement and form, Roghman suggests a dialogue between the organic and the constructed. This etching acts as a study in contrasts and an exploration of how we perceive and organize our visual world.