Molen aan het water 1867 - 1935

Maurits van der Valk made this print, 'Molen aan het water,' probably sometime around the turn of the century, using etching. Can you see the way the lines build up, almost like he's knitting the image together? I imagine Van der Valk outside, trying to capture the light on the water, the solidity of the mill. It’s a dance between control and letting go, each stroke of the needle shaping the scene, searching for its truth. The texture of the paper becomes part of the piece, and it all comes together to create a sense of place and time. You can feel the air, the stillness. Artists like Van der Valk were looking at the world in a new way, and that's what makes his art so special. They were having a conversation with each other, building on what came before, and pushing painting in new directions.