Weidelandschap met sloot en molen 1867 - 1914

Maurits van der Valk created this landscape with ditch and mill using etching techniques. The composition is dominated by the windmill on the right, its structure rendered with careful detail. The strong verticality of the mill is set against the horizontality of the landscape, creating a dynamic tension within the image. The use of line is particularly striking; the etching captures the texture of the natural elements, from the clouds in the sky to the reeds in the foreground. This emphasis on texture and the contrast between light and shadow gives the landscape a tactile quality. The placement of the ditch acts as a visual pathway, leading the eye towards the horizon. The subtle gradations of tone, achieved through varying densities of etched lines, evoke a sense of depth. The artwork invites us to consider the relationship between the built environment and the natural world.