Slagveld met gesneuvelde soldaten 1914 - 1930

Henri de Groux made this print, Slagveld met gesneuvelde soldaten, using etching, and it’s all about line, a web of marks that build up a dense scene of chaos and death. It’s like he’s wrestling with the subject, trying to capture something that’s almost too awful to look at. The texture is built with these furious, scratchy lines, a kind of material expression of the scene itself, creating this claustrophobic feeling, like you’re right there in the middle of it. The tonal range isn’t huge, but the sheer density of marks creates depth and shadow. Look at the way he renders the faces of the fallen soldiers; they emerge from this mass of lines, individual expressions of pain and horror amidst the collective tragedy. It reminds me a little of Käthe Kollwitz, another artist who wasn’t afraid to confront the harsh realities of war and suffering. But where Kollwitz often uses a kind of mournful tenderness, de Groux is all raw, unfiltered intensity. It's a reminder that art doesn't always have to be pretty, it can also be a scream of anguish.