Landschap met brug before 1936

This is Johanna Brantjes' etching of a "Landschap met brug," or "Landscape with Bridge," which she made sometime in her lifetime, between 1888 and 1946. It's all about these tiny, vibrating marks that build up into a scene. I love how she uses line to create a whole world. The texture is amazing; you can almost feel the rough wood of the bridge and the stillness of the water. I am particularly drawn to the way the bridge is rendered. See how she contrasts the dark, solid lines of the structure with the delicate, almost wispy lines of the boat reflected in the water? It's like she's playing with solidity and ephemerality all at once. It reminds me a bit of Whistler, actually, in its quiet mood. But Brantjes brings her own sensibility to it. It's a reminder that art is a conversation, artists riffing off each other across time, always finding new ways to see and feel the world.