Landschap met brug before 1936

Johanna Brantjes made this landscape with a bridge in an unknown place using etching. Imagine the process of repeatedly applying acid to a metal plate, slowly building up the image. It's a testament to her vision and patience. I imagine Brantjes, carefully composing each line, considering how the light would play across the water and the worn timbers of the bridge. The textures in this piece! The dense, dark strokes defining the foreground boat are amazing, contrasting with the softer, more diffuse marks suggesting the distant shore. You can almost feel the dampness in the air, the quiet stillness of the scene. There is a kinship with other artists of her time, maybe some of the Dutch masters who were exploring similar themes of light and landscape, or women artists like Paula Modersohn-Becker. It's like they were all in dialogue, figuring things out together, each adding their own unique voice to the conversation. Painting is so cool!