Lege hooischelf met scheefgezakt dak 1870 - 1914

This etching, "Empty Haystack with Sagging Roof," was created by Willem Bastiaan Tholen. The scene, rendered with fine lines, depicts a weathered structure amid slender trees, all under a pale sky. Tholen’s approach here is quite revealing. The composition is built upon a series of lines, which define the architecture and surrounding nature. The sagging roofline and the lean of the trees create a dynamic tension, challenging the stability that one might expect. The light is subtly modulated, giving depth to the monochrome image. Tholen plays with the concepts of structure and decay. The haystack, presumably once a symbol of bounty and order, now leans precariously, its structural integrity undermined. He uses a semiotic system of architectural forms to suggest themes of impermanence and the passage of time. The appeal of this etching lies in its subtle formal disruptions. Tholen offers us not just a picture of a rural scene, but a meditation on how the very structures we build are subject to change, inviting ongoing interpretation and personal reflection.