Oude visscher 1885 - 1931

Here's a sensitive portrait of an "Old Fisherman" rendered with etching by Frederika Henriëtte Broeksmit. The composition feels direct, born out of an embodied engagement with the material. Broeksmit builds up an image with a layering of lines, a patient accumulation, where the image evolves through the process of mark-making. Notice how the etched lines gather in the face, creating a rich topography of wrinkles and folds, while around the head and shoulders, the lines become looser, more expressive? I love how the hatching marks behind the head almost have a life of their own, a storm of lines suggesting the wildness of the sea, and the harshness of the elements the fisherman has weathered. Thinking about other artists working in etching around this time, I'm put in mind of Käthe Kollwitz, the German Expressionist. Like Kollwitz, Broeksmit's focus on working people, the everyman, speaks to a broader desire to connect with the realities of everyday life. Art is often about embracing these multiple layers of meaning, finding resonance in the unexpected.