Boerderij 1888 - 1931

Willem Adrianus Grondhout etched ‘Boerderij’ - that’s ‘Farmhouse’ - using fine lines to build up this humble domestic scene. There's a certain charm in the way the artist coaxes details out of a limited palette; it feels immediate. The texture in the etching is crucial to how we read the image; see how the light catches the rough stones in the foreground? There’s a real intimacy here, and that comes from the close attention Grondhout pays to surface. Take a closer look at the roof. The lines there aren't just describing the shape, they are also the texture. That's the kind of mark-making that suggests the artist really knew what it felt like to touch the rough, thatched surface. It makes me think of Whistler. Grondhout seems to invite us into his world, to share in this quiet observation of everyday life. Ultimately art is a conversation, isn't it? An ongoing exchange of seeing and feeling.