Boot op een Bretons strand 1928

Lodewijk Schelfhout made this etching of a boat on a beach in Brittany, and right away I am struck by the mark making. It’s like he’s feeling his way through the scene with a kind of tender touch, but the final look is rather stark. The etching feels like a conversation, or a negotiation between the artist and the plate. Notice how the lines both define and dissolve the form of the boat, as if it’s both there and not there at the same time. See how he draws your eye with the textures of the sand and the cliff edges. Everything is a play of light and shadow, each line a tiny revelation of the overall scene. Schelfhout reminds me of Emil Nolde, with his love for stark, elemental landscapes, though Schelfhout's touch is lighter, more intimate. Art's an ongoing exchange, a dialogue across time. There are never any definite answers, only more questions.