Eetkamer met groene baan boven langs de wanden c. 1925

This watercolor by Monogrammist HK, made at some point in the 20th century in the Netherlands, depicts a dining room, and it’s all about light and shadow. The green hues throughout the interior, in both light and dark shades, lend a calming, almost melancholic quality to the scene. I wonder about the artist, HK, imagining them carefully layering washes of watercolor to capture not just the furniture and décor, but also the very atmosphere of the room. How the light filters through the window, reflecting off the polished surfaces and casting shadows that dance across the walls. And those green bands—what if they’re not just decorative, but a way of framing the space, guiding the eye, creating a sense of enclosure? The whole painting is kind of hushed, a place for quiet contemplation, even a little sad. It reminds me of Vilhelm Hammershøi, whose muted interiors share a similar mood. Artists build upon each other, right? They’re constantly responding to what came before, finding new ways to express the same old feelings. And that's painting, isn't it? It’s about feeling as much as seeing, and finding ways to translate that feeling onto paper.