Zicht op een kasteel aan het water 1923

Jean Emile Laboureur’s “Zicht op een kasteel aan het water” looks like it was etched with a fine needle sometime in the early twentieth century. I can imagine him working away, watching the acid do its work, and then printing it. The overall tonal range is very narrow, creating a hazy, dreamlike effect. I wonder if Laboureur thought about the history of landscape art, like Claude Lorraine, maybe? The artist must have been outside, gazing upon the old European architecture and capturing the play of light on the water. I can imagine him squinting, trying to capture the essence of the scene. The sky is really interesting—those hatched lines almost look like an early computer rendering of clouds! I bet Laboureur would have been fascinated by the digital tools we have now. Anyway, I’m really inspired by artists who are brave enough to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty. It’s that willingness to experiment that keeps art alive, you know?