Nijmegen 1912

Willem Adrianus Grondhout made this etching, Nijmegen, in tones of grey. It’s like a whisper of a place, not a shout. The whole scene is built from delicate lines, a process of careful addition that slowly builds a picture of this Dutch town. Look at the way the light seems to filter through the etching, how the lines create the shadows. It reminds me that art-making is often about revealing something, not just making something up from scratch. It’s like the image was already there, and Grondhout just coaxed it out. My eye keeps going back to the gothic doorway on the left; it anchors the piece. The whole image is like a memory, hazy and beautiful. You get the feeling that Grondhout has a deep, nostalgic relationship to this place. It puts me in mind of Whistler, another master of the etching, who also used a monochromatic palette to create a sense of atmosphere. Ultimately, this piece is about seeing, feeling, and remembering.