Broedende snip 1892 - 1937

Henri Verstijnen created this print, Broedende snip, with etching. The lines here are so delicate, like a whisper. The subject is a brooding snipe, nestled in tall grasses. Imagine Verstijnen, hunched over a metal plate, carefully drawing with a needle, each stroke digging into the surface. You know, etching has that beautiful combination of control and accident. The color is muted, earthy, a kind of golden green. I can almost smell the dampness of the marsh. I wonder what Verstijnen was thinking, what he felt about this bird, this place. The way he renders the feathers with such fine lines gives a real sense of texture. It’s so different from painting. He's not just showing us what it looks like, but how it feels to be close to something wild and hidden. It reminds me that artists are always in conversation with each other, picking up ideas, transforming them, and passing them on.