Raadhuistoren 1913

Huib Luns made this striking woodcut, "Raadhuistoren," in 1913, and right away, I’m struck by the graphic quality, the pure contrast of black and white, and the incredible detail he coaxes from the wood. It's clear he was totally absorbed in the process. Look at how Luns carves the sky around the tower. The marks aren't just filling space; they become these dynamic lines that almost feel like wind swirling around the architecture. There's a real sense of movement, a tension between the solid, still structure of the tower and the restless energy of the sky. That one dark, solid shape at the base of the tower really grounds the image, and the eye is drawn back to the intricate details, up and up the tower. There's something about Luns's precision that reminds me a bit of Piranesi's architectural prints. Both artists share a fascination with detail, with structure, and with the interplay of light and shadow. What is so incredible about looking at art is that these conversations between artists, across time and space, keep happening.