Illustration til Christian Winther, "Chresten og Lene" 1889 - 1926

Waldemar Bøhme's illustration for Christian Winther's "Chresten og Lene" is an exercise in mark-making, built with precision and delicacy. The muted palette focuses our attention on the tiny hatch marks which build tone and shadow. See how the composition is split in two, the quiet village and pastoral scene sitting beneath the flight of the stork. Each blade of grass is individually rendered, the roof of the cottage densely thatched with tiny lines. It's painstaking work, the kind of mark-making that demands an intimate connection to the process. The ink hasn't been overworked, but the artist lets each mark breathe, allowing the image to emerge slowly. Look at the signature in the lower right-hand corner, almost obscured by the grass. The artist has rendered his own name with as much care and attention as the stork in flight. There is a sensitivity here that reminds me of Whistler, both in the composition and the fine detail. Like Whistler, Bøhme seems to have revelled in the possibilities of suggestion, celebrating the beauty of tonal variation.