Koemarkt 1924

Willem de Zwart made this print, Koemarkt, using etching. Looking at this piece, I’m struck by the way the world is rendered through a network of lines. See how the figures and animals emerge from this sea of marks? It's like the artist is thinking out loud. The physical surface is crucial here. The etched lines create a velvety texture, a kind of visual hum that activates the surface, giving it a tactile quality. Focus on the cows themselves: the density of marks defining their forms, the way the light catches certain areas, suggesting volume and weight. It’s not just a picture of cows, it’s an investigation of how we perceive and represent them. You might see echoes of Rembrandt’s etchings here, or even some of Daumier’s lithographs in the work's social realism. Ultimately, it is less important to identify a definitive influence than to recognize the continuous exchange of ideas that exists within art. This piece is an invitation to embrace the richness of ambiguity and accept the multiple interpretations that arise from it.