Walvis gestrand tussen Katwijk en Scheveningen, 1617 1917 - 1919

A.B. van Deinse captured this beached whale between Katwijk and Scheveningen in 1617 with an etching tool, I imagine. The entire image is hatched with tiny lines. Like a close knit community who all agree to do the same thing. It must have taken a lot of patience. I imagine Van Deinse, standing on the beach, sketching the giant whale surrounded by curious onlookers. What was he thinking as he translated this monumental scene onto a small copper plate? Did he feel a sense of awe, documenting nature's grandeur? Or was he focused on the technical challenges of capturing light and shadow with such fine lines? Look at the way he rendered the whale’s vast form with subtle gradations, each stroke building the animal’s three-dimensionality. It’s almost sculptural! Etching is such a great medium. I love how each line carries so much information. Artists have been conversing across time. Each one influencing and inspiring the next.