Slag bij de Leffingedijk tussen de Staatse troepen van Ernst Casimir van Nassau en de Spaanse van Albrecht van Oostenrijk, 1600 c. 1900 - 1935

This is Floris van Berckenrode's engraving of the Battle of Leffingedijk, made around 1600. The mark-making here is so incredibly detailed, it is amazing! I think of it as a form of information gathering, or mark-making as a process to render a complex scene. What really strikes me are the material aspects of this work: the fineness of the lines, and the way each tiny stroke adds up to represent this historical event. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving meticulously across the plate, etching away with such care, like each mark is a decision. Look at how the artist has constructed the figures, the horses, the tents. There is a rhythm and a pattern, yet within that, there is an incredible sense of movement and chaos. It reminds me of the engravings of Albrect Durer. This work is an exchange of ideas across time. It reminds us that art is not just about what we see, but about how we see and how we translate that vision into something tangible.