Landschap met fluitspeler onder een boom en silhouet van een stad 1890 - 1930

Philip Zilcken etched this landscape with a flute player under a tree in shades of grey. I imagine the artist patiently layering thin lines and textures to create this scene, isn't it subtle? I feel for Zilcken, sitting there with his plate, thinking through composition and tone. I wonder what it was like to decide on the balance between light and shadow. How do you capture something so fleeting? The etching feels intimate, like a private moment shared between the artist, the flute player, and the landscape. It’s all soft and blurred. I think this has a quiet intensity that pulls you in closer. The line work throughout reminds me of Whistler, and I'm sure Zilcken was looking at his work. Artists are always building on each other’s ideas, trying to find their own voice in the conversation.