Zeilschip in een baai 1922

Lodewijk Schelfhout made this print of a sailboat in a bay, around 1920. Look at how the shapes are reduced to their barest forms. It's all about the contrast here, isn't it? The limited palette really makes you focus on the textures. I love how the ink seems almost scrubbed onto the paper in places, like the mountains in the background. Then you’ve got these really precise lines defining the boat. That’s a whole different kind of mark-making. It’s like Schelfhout is saying, “Here’s the essence of a sailboat, the essence of a mountain, without any fuss.” The way the branches of the tree reach out across the top of the scene, that's almost Chinese, like a landscape painting. It reminds me of Whistler's prints, actually. But where Whistler goes for dreamy and atmospheric, Schelfhout is all about stark simplicity. Art's just one big conversation, right? Each artist responding, reacting, and simplifying the conversation before them.