Gezicht op Kasteel het Oude Loo 1907 - 1909

Simon Moulijn made this etching of Gezicht op Kasteel het Oude Loo using a monochrome palette of soft greys and blacks. I can imagine him outside, squinting in the daylight. It feels like the artist is trying to capture the atmosphere of the place more than make a perfect record. The image is mostly pale, but look closely at the dark, velvety textures of the tree in the foreground. The way the light falls gently on the scene is beautiful. I wonder if he reworked the plate many times, using a burnisher to smooth the image and create that luminosity? There’s such tenderness in the treatment of the light. It almost feels like a memory. Think of other artists who also focused on light, like the Impressionists. Simon Moulijn is part of an ongoing conversation, finding his own voice within a rich history of art. The exchange of ideas across time is so inspiring!