Koeien in een stal 1867 - 1935

Maurits van der Valk made this etching, "Koeien in een stal," and there is a real love for the everyday in it. The image is built up with subtle tonal shifts and the texture is like a gentle hum. The cows almost seem to melt into the hay. I can imagine him carefully layering the marks, building up the forms with a kind of quiet concentration, a real observation of light and shadow. What I love about this print is its intimacy; he's not trying to be flashy or grand, just capturing a little moment in time. It reminds me of other artists who find beauty in the mundane, like Courbet, but with a more understated touch. Artists keep the conversation of mark-making going through time. Each one whispers something to the next.