Rivierbedding c. 1944 - 1990

Kees Stoop made this print of a riverbed sometime in his life, using etching. What strikes me is the sheer exuberance of the marks, how they build up to form this landscape. Look at the way the light shimmers on the water, captured through these flickering lines. Each mark feels so alive, so full of potential, like a little dance across the plate. And notice how he varies the pressure and direction of the lines to create different textures, from the dense foliage on the left to the open sky above. It's a reminder that artmaking is all about the process. It makes me think of other artists who embraced the messy, unpredictable nature of printmaking, like Emil Nolde, who used woodcuts to express his raw emotions. And it reminds me that art is not about perfection, but about embracing the unexpected and finding beauty in the imperfections.