Boerderij in heuvelachtig landschap 1887 - 1952

This etching, Boerderij in heuvelachtig landschap, was made by Chris van der Windt. The whole scene is rendered in these short, scratchy lines. See how they build up to create the dark areas of the trees and the shadows on the buildings? It’s like he’s feeling his way around the form, line by line. Look at the roof of the larger building. The lines there are so dense they almost vibrate. There’s a real sense of weight and texture, of the roughness of the materials used to construct the buildings. Then, the landscape is all light and airy, created with these delicate, almost hesitant strokes. It feels like a quick sketch, a fleeting impression of a place. It reminds me a little of some of Samuel Palmer’s etchings, that same sense of romanticism, but with a much lighter touch, a kind of casual intimacy. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t always need to shout. Sometimes, it whispers.