Boerderijen in een besneeuwd landschap bij Amstelveen 1942

Lodewijk Schelfhout made this etching of snowy farmhouses near Amstelveen. Look how the network of fine lines creates a crisp winter atmosphere. It feels like a kind of slow looking. I imagine Schelfhout out there in the cold, bundled up, carefully observing the way light filters through the bare trees and illuminates the snow-covered fields. Maybe he was thinking about the quiet resilience of the landscape, the way life persists even in the harshest conditions. You know, etching is a kind of drawing with acid and metal—it's pretty hardcore. You have to really commit to each line. The thin strokes create depth and texture, like the subtle variations in the snow’s surface. Think about other landscape artists, like the Barbizon school. It's like Schelfhout is in conversation with them, but with his own unique voice. Artists are always riffing off each other, borrowing ideas, and pushing things in new directions, right? It’s nice to think that we are carrying on a long conversation about how to see the world.