Rivierbedding c. 1944 - 1990

This is Kees Stoop’s Rivierbedding, whereabouts unknown, made with etching. I see the artist, Stoop, standing by the riverbank, plate in hand, tools at the ready, observing how the light catches the flow of the water, the tufts of grass at the river's edge, the density of the trees. There's so much texture, and a real sensitivity to the different marks and tones he makes. Do you see how the etched lines build up the density of the foliage on the left? Or how light and reflection are rendered in the river? It looks like he wiped back the ink on the plate to make it gleam. This print reminds me of other artists such as Hercules Segers, another Dutch artist, who experimented with etching and printing to push the boundaries of the medium. Artists are constantly looking at one another's work, building upon ideas and approaches. It’s an ongoing conversation across time.