Landweg met huizen en bomen 1924

Willem de Zwart made this print of a landscape with houses and trees using etching, and it’s all about the process. You can see the marks so clearly. The image is built from so many tiny marks, close together, creating the illusion of shadow and depth. Look at the way he’s described the foliage, these tiny squiggles that build to form the shape of the trees. You can almost feel the scratch of the etchers needle against the plate. It's subtle, but the density of the lines create a real sense of texture. The overall palette is monochromatic, but the richness of the blacks and greys, gives the piece a certain warmth. It reminds me of Whistler’s prints, but with a more solid, grounded feel. This print embraces ambiguity. It's a conversation between the artist, the medium, and us, the viewers, as we bring our own experiences to it.