Visser op een oever in Edam 1898 - 1914

This is Wijnand Otto Jan Nieuwenkamp’s ‘Visser op een oever in Edam’, an etching made at an unknown date. The process is all here in the marks - it’s the kind of piece where you can practically see the artist at work. The texture is critical. Nieuwenkamp created an entire world using only fine lines on a plate. Look at the way the hatching and cross-hatching build up the tones, creating depth and volume. The reflections in the water are evoked with a series of vertical lines, broken and stuttering, it’s like the whole scene is shimmering. The rooftops are so carefully rendered, you can almost feel the texture of the tiles. And then there’s that lone fisherman, a tiny figure in a boat, adding a human element to the otherwise serene landscape. It reminds me a little of Whistler’s etchings, in the way it captures a specific sense of place and atmosphere through understated means. Ultimately, art is about seeing and feeling, and Nieuwenkamp invites us to do both.