Schip in een sloot c. 1905 - 1920

Willem Bastiaan Tholen made this print called 'Ship in a Ditch,' and the details are so fascinating! The whole scene is rendered in these delicate, almost tentative lines, which feels like the artistic process is right there on the surface. The way the lines build up the shapes of the boats and the surrounding foliage; it’s like watching the image slowly emerge, a quiet, thoughtful kind of seeing. Look at how the textures vary. There’s a soft, blurred effect for the distant water and then these sharper, more defined lines for the boat's hull, really giving you a sense of depth and weight. It's so subtle and makes you feel the dampness and stillness of the scene. It reminds me of Whistler's etchings, that same kind of atmospheric, dreamlike quality. Art is about an ongoing conversation, right?