Seascape 1916

Lovis Corinth made this Seascape using etching, with marks swirling, diving, and cascading down the printing plate. I imagine Corinth's hand moving deftly, guided by an inner rhythm, feeling the give-and-take between the tool, the plate, and his vision. I wonder if Corinth felt a kinship with the landscape, almost as if he were dancing with it. The etching feels like a collaboration between artist and place, each informing the other in a kind of visual call and response. The lines form clouds, fences, and bushes but they could easily be something else. The scratches feel very modern, but still a bit like Courbet. They remind me that artists are always in conversation with each other, borrowing ideas, techniques, and inspiration across time and space. These dark markings embrace ambiguity and uncertainty and invite us to bring our own experiences and associations to the work.