Duinlandschap c. 1975 - 1976

Kees Stoop made this landscape, or "Duinlandschap," at an unknown date using etching. The whole thing's in shades of grey, built up with these delicate lines. It’s like he's feeling his way through the scene. You can almost feel the wind in the grass. Look at how he uses all these tiny lines. It’s like a swarm of little marks, all coming together to make something bigger. There’s this spot in the foreground that’s super dense, almost a dark mass. Then, your eye travels up to the horizon, which is much lighter and airier. The contrast is so effective, it really pulls you into the landscape. It reminds me of some of Philip Guston's prints, where he uses a similar language of marks to evoke a mood. Stoop’s print really shows how a simple medium, like etching, can become a vehicle for something expansive and emotional. It’s not just about what you see, but how it makes you feel. And that’s the magic of art, isn’t it?