Spoorweg en gezicht op het Vredespaleis 1888 - 1945

This is Chris Lebeau's "Spoorweg en gezicht op het Vredespaleis", it's an etching, so made by dragging a sharp needle across a metal plate. The result is an image made up of tiny lines, a bit like a drawing, but one that can be reproduced. There's something really satisfying in the way the Peace Palace looms in the background, all gothic and imposing, while in the foreground, the railway tracks lead the eye but slightly off-kilter. It makes me think about how we're always in transit, always heading somewhere, but never quite arriving. The tracks feel like the promise of a destination. Look closely, and you can see the way that Lebeau has used cross-hatching to create depth and shadow. It’s the kind of image that reveals more the longer you look, a reminder that art is not about quick glances, but about slow looking and contemplation. Like the prints of Whistler, it embraces the beauty of simplicity and subtle detail.