Pont de la Tournelle in Parijs 1888 - 1934

Willem Adrianus Grondhout made this print of the Pont de la Tournelle in Paris using etching, and it’s all about the scratchy lines. They build up to make dark areas and then thin out to create lighter ones. It's a great demonstration of how the act of making can be a kind of thinking. I really like the way he’s used the etched line to suggest the movement of the water, see how they shimmer and dance across the surface? The marks are so light and airy, but they really give you a sense of the river’s flow. Then look at how the buildings on the right side of the bridge are rendered with a more dense, cross-hatched mark-making. It gives them a sense of solidity and permanence that contrasts with the more fluid lines of the water. This print reminds me a little bit of the work of James McNeill Whistler, who also had a real knack for capturing the atmosphere of a place with just a few simple lines. But where Whistler's work tends to be a little more refined, Grondhout's has a kind of raw, sketch-like quality that I find really appealing. Ultimately, art is all about how we see and interpret the world, right?