Zeilboten op zee met zicht op een stad 1915

This is Eugène Bejot’s etching, "Zeilboten op zee met zicht op een stad", or "Sailboats at Sea with a View of a City," which can be found at the Rijksmuseum. The whole scene is built up from tiny marks, flicks of the wrist that form shapes and suggest the texture of the sea and sky. You can almost feel the breeze! It's like Bejot is sketching directly onto the plate, letting the moment guide his hand. The palette is restrained, almost monochromatic, but within that limited range, he finds incredible depth. Look closely at the way he renders the water; it's not just a flat plane, but a shimmering surface alive with subtle gradations. He captures the essence of the sea with such economy of means. It reminds me a bit of Whistler's seascapes, that same interest in capturing atmosphere and a fleeting moment. It speaks to the beauty of the unfinished, the suggestive power of a few well-placed lines.