Kasteel van Pau in de schemering 1869 - 1937

This etching of the Kasteel van Pau was made by Anton L. Koster, though I don't know exactly when. What I see here is a patient exploration of tonal variation, with the castle emerging gradually from the darkness through a layering of delicate, scribbled marks. It makes me think of the printmaker as a kind of patient alchemist, coaxing the image into being through careful manipulation of light and shadow. I can only imagine the artist, bent over his plate, carefully building up the image, one tiny mark at a time, trying to capture the mood and mystery of twilight. It reminds me a little of Whistler’s nocturnes, where the city becomes an atmospheric dreamscape, and you know these guys are all looking at each other's stuff!