Johannes de Doper 1915

Lodewijk Schelfhout made this etching, Johannes de Doper, in 1917. Look at the way he's carved lines into the plate, building up this stark landscape with the figure of John the Baptist emerging out of it. I can imagine Schelfhout working on this, maybe in a dimly lit studio, carefully layering those lines, almost like he's building a world out of darkness. See how the light flickers across the surface, catching on the tiny details? It gives the whole image a kind of shimmering, ethereal quality. The hatching that defines the landscape communicates drama and tension. There's a real sense of energy and movement in this print; John strides towards us holding his staff like he is on a mission. It reminds me of some of the early expressionist printmakers, wrestling with big themes of spirituality and the human condition. It’s like he's inviting us to contemplate something profound, something just beyond our grasp.