Molen in een weiland 1887 - 1949

This work is an etching of a windmill in a field by Chris van der Windt. I can imagine Van der Windt outside, squinting, with his etching tools, scratching away at the plate. The tiny lines describing the windmill are so delicate, so careful. It makes you wonder about all the tiny marks artists make, each one a little decision, a little breath. He’s got the windmill looming, but softened, like a memory. I wonder if he was thinking about other artists while he worked on it. And the mark-making is great: the short, scrubby marks that suggest the field, the slightly more confident strokes that define the structure of the mill. It’s all about touch, isn’t it? The touch of the artist's hand, the touch of the wind on the sails, the way a work of art can touch us, even across time.