De herders c. 1902

“De herders” by E. Phosty uses thin washes of color and delicate lines to create an image full of action. You know, I can almost feel Phosty figuring it out as they go— layering scene upon scene, drawing each figure with care. I imagine Phosty, maybe they worked in a small studio, sleeves rolled up, totally absorbed in getting all these characters just right. Check out how each little gesture communicates the story. The way the one kid points, and another leans in with the dog. They remind me of those figures you see in really old paintings, like they’re all talking at once. Artists are always looking at what others have done and adding something new to the conversation. Phosty’s work sits somewhere in that long line of image-makers, using their own language to show us what they see. Painting, or even this kind of print-making, it’s like a visual echo, always changing, always staying the same.