Vrouw voor de haard 1887 - 1952

Chris van der Windt made this etching of a woman in front of a fireplace, and the first thing that strikes me is the sheer amount of detail he managed to cram into such a small space. I can almost feel him hunched over the plate, carefully scratching away at the surface with his needle. It’s like he’s trying to capture not just the image of the woman, but also the feeling of warmth and domesticity that surrounds her. The lines are so delicate, yet they create a sense of depth and texture. You can almost see the flickering flames of the fire, the rough texture of the brick, and the soft folds of the woman’s clothing. I wonder if he was thinking of Rembrandt’s etchings. There is something about that attention to detail that reminds me of Rembrandt. It’s like he’s inviting us to step into this intimate scene and experience it for ourselves.