Berglandschap 1867 - 1930

Philip Zilcken created this landscape, titled "Berglandschap", in 1923, using etching to render the scene. The composition is dominated by a mountain that looms in the background, balanced by the vertical form of a tree in the foreground. The etching technique creates a density of marks, and a subtle tonal range, that evokes a feeling of depth and texture in the rock formations and foliage. Zilcken uses line and shadow to create a sense of volume and space, but also seems to challenge traditional perspective, flattening the scene. This tension plays with the viewer's perception, disrupting our conventional understanding of landscape representation. The structure of the image doesn’t simply depict a place; it engages with the very act of seeing. Consider how the artist explores the boundaries between representation and abstraction through the materiality of the etching. The image becomes a space for questioning how we perceive the natural world through art.