Man met hellebaard before 1909

Herman Boulenger made this etching, "Man met hellebaard," sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. You can see how the etching lines work to build the form of the figure, a real process of constructing this guy holding the halberd. There's a lot of surface activity to enjoy here. Look at the way he defines the shadow behind the man. These aren't solid forms, but rather, they’re built from these hatched marks. And the hatching isn’t uniform – it changes direction, density, and pressure. See how the lines around the halberd head are more tentative, but the lines around his legs are bolder. Maybe this guy reminds me a bit of Daumier, you know? I like how he uses simple lines to create these really lively, expressive images of people. The image is not overly laboured, it’s really all about this act of making the image. It makes me want to pick up a pencil, you know?