Rode brug in de benedenstad van Soerabaja op Oost-Java 1925

This etching, Rode brug in de benedenstad van Soerabaja op Oost-Java, is by Johannes Nicolaas. It feels like a memory, seen through a haze. I find myself drawn to the boats in the foreground. The artist’s mark-making is delicate, almost tentative, like he’s feeling his way through the scene. The lines are so fine, they create a sense of atmosphere, of light filtering through the air. It's all about the process of observing, of trying to capture a fleeting moment. Look at the reflections in the water – how they shimmer and dance with the light. Notice the tiny figures on the bridge, rendered with such economy of line. They give a sense of scale to the scene, and also a feeling of life, of people going about their daily business. It makes me think of other artists who’ve explored similar themes of place and memory, like Whistler, or maybe even some of the early Impressionists. There’s a sense of poetry here, a quiet beauty that lingers in the mind.