Boerderij in de sneeuw 1929 - 1930

Lodewijk Schelfhout made this etching of a farm in the snow, but we don't know when. There's a stillness here, a quiet that comes from the precise lines used to depict the landscape. Look at how the lines create texture and form, especially in the snow-covered roofs and the bare branches of the trees. It's like Schelfhout is feeling his way through the scene, each line a step in the process of capturing this wintery moment. The composition feels balanced but not overly symmetrical. The textures create a sense of depth, drawing you into the scene. I'm drawn to the way the light filters through the clouds, creating soft shadows on the snow. There's a sense of calm that reminds me of Japanese prints, where the focus is on capturing the essence of a scene with minimal detail. Schelfhout's work reminds us that art is often about seeing and feeling and process, rather than knowing, and that there’s beauty in the simplest of subjects.