Boomgaard 1916

Lodewijk Schelfhout made this print, Boomgaard, sometime in his lifetime using etching, drypoint and aquatint. Look at the way Schelfhout has massed together these different textures and tones. There’s the looming tree in the front and the more distant windmill, farmhouses, and fields. I can imagine the artist standing in this scene, feeling the sun on his skin, trying to capture the essence of the Dutch landscape. The use of etching and drypoint creates this incredible tactile quality – you can almost feel the roughness of the bark, the gentle breeze through the leaves. And the aquatint adds a sense of depth and atmosphere, pulling you into the scene. It’s like he’s inviting us to share in his experience of the world, one mark at a time. It reminds me of how painters like Hercules Segers or even some of the German Expressionists used printmaking to explore new ways of seeing and feeling. It is a reminder that art is a conversation across time.