Antwerpen 1922

This is Henri Braakensiek’s 1932 etching, "Antwerpen." Look at the marks, how they huddle together, dense and dark, then scatter apart like startled birds. That’s the beauty of etching, isn't it? You get this amazing range of dark and light, all from the same simple line. It’s all about the pressure, the duration, the movement; an immediate and direct record of an action. Focus on the prow of the ship dominating the foreground. See how the lines curve and flow, suggesting the weight and volume of the metal, but also, oddly, the flow of water? It’s kind of miraculous when you think about it, how a bunch of lines scratched onto a plate can conjure up so much. I guess that's the real magic trick of artmaking: to create a whole world from next to nothing. Braakensiek reminds me a little of Whistler, actually, but with a slightly rougher edge. Both were masters of line, able to evoke atmosphere and emotion with the simplest of means. Ultimately, the work's beauty lies in its inherent simplicity.