Rotslandschap met bouwval 1939 - 1966

Dirkje Kuik made this etching, Rotslandschap met bouwval, and it shows a rocky landscape with a ruin. Look closely at the marks; the lines aren’t just describing things, they’re also describing the feeling of things falling apart. The physical process really matters here. Think about the acid eating away at the metal plate, creating tiny crevices that hold the ink. It's a kind of controlled decay, mirroring the crumbling structures in the image. See how the light catches the jagged edges of the ruin on the left? It's like the building is gasping its last breath. The texture created by the etching process, that gritty surface, enhances this sense of things being worn down, eroded. Kuik’s work reminds me of Piranesi, with their shared love of ruins and the power of etching. Art is a conversation, and these artists are talking about time, decay, and the beauty of destruction. It’s not about fixed meanings but about embracing the many ways we can see and feel the world around us.