Heerengracht bij de Reguliersgracht, Amsterdam 1924

This etching of the Heerengracht canal in Amsterdam is by Frederik van der Harst. It's the kind of scene that looks both idyllic and freezing, isn't it? You can almost feel the cold seeping in. Harst has this incredible way of capturing the stillness of a winter's day. The bridge is so solid and sturdy against the delicate tracery of the trees, all laced with snow. Imagine him, maybe standing on the bank, bundled up, squinting through the frosty air, trying to capture the light just so. I wonder what he was thinking about as he etched those lines? Was he thinking about the history of this place? Or maybe just trying to keep his fingers from going numb! I'm so interested in how artists are in an ongoing conversation with one another, constantly building on what's come before, and inspiring what will come next. Each mark, each line, is a continuation of that conversation, an offering to the future.