Molen 1885 - 1945

This etching, Molen, by Herman Heuff, is a masterclass in mark-making with dark, almost muddy ink, summoning a scene of decay and resilience. Look at how the lines build the form of the windmill. They’re not just descriptive; they’re expressive, almost frantic, giving a sense of the structure's vulnerability against the elements. The texture is palpable; you can almost feel the roughness of the thatched roof and the decaying wood. See that ladder leading up to the windmill’s broken peak? The etched lines are so close together it almost feels as if the ladder is disappearing into nothing, as if the structure is a ghost of its former self. Heuff reminds me of Piranesi, but with a Dutch sensibility, embracing the melancholic beauty of decay, hinting at the ongoing dialogue between artists across time, each finding their own way to express the world’s beautiful ambiguities.