Sloot c. 1944 - 1990

Kees Stoop made this etching, Sloot, but we don't know exactly when. Look at how he's built the image from many tiny lines, each one a mark of the hand. It's like watching him think and feel his way through the landscape. Up close, the surface has a velvety texture, a direct result of the etching process. The variations in tone and density create a sense of depth and atmosphere. See how Stoop uses the lines to suggest the movement of water or the texture of grass? It's almost like he's drawing with light itself. The way the trees dissolve into a tangle of lines reminds me of some of Guston's later, more chaotic works, both artists searching for a new way of seeing the world in front of them. Ultimately, Sloot, invites us to slow down, to appreciate the beauty of the everyday, and to recognize that art is not about perfect representation but about the ongoing process of seeing and feeling.