Interieur met haard, secretaire en harp

René Janssens made this print of an interior with fireplace, desk and harp, using etching. Look how the scene emerges out of the darks! It reminds me that making art is often a dance between chaos and order, a process of finding form within a sea of possibilities. The texture of this piece is everything: the way the light catches the harp's curves, or the shadows deepen around the desk's edges, it's all built up through layers and layers of tiny etched lines. The rug, oh, the rug! That repeated pattern of small dark marks creating an intricate surface. Each mark feels deliberate, yet the overall effect is one of quiet contemplation. It reminds me of Whistler, the way he created these tonal nocturnes. Like Whistler, Janssens uses the subtlety of tone to create a mood, an atmosphere, which allows the viewer to enter a different world. Art is always a conversation, across time, across place, an exchange of ideas that embraces ambiguity.