Interieur met bloemen in vazen en planten in potten 1911 - 1943

Arend Hendriks made this print, 'Interior with flowers in vases and plants in pots,’ using etching techniques. It's so interesting how the hatching and cross-hatching give the image both depth and a kind of vibrating energy, like the plants are almost breathing. You can really feel the artist's hand in every line. Look at the dark background, and the way it's built up with these tiny, precise marks. Each one is a decision, a little piece of the puzzle. The contrast of the detailed foreground and the more ambiguous background makes you feel like you are looking into a mysterious, enclosed world. This reminds me a little of the botanical studies by artists like Maria Sibylla Merian, who also paid incredible attention to the details of plants. But here, there’s also a sense of atmosphere, like the plants are living in their own little ecosystem. What could be better than that?