Opgaande of ondergaande zon boven een heuvellandschap 1914

Lodewijk Schelfhout made this etching of a rising or setting sun over a hilly landscape. The sun, the source of all, is rendered as a burst of light achieved through densely packed, fine strokes. The etching is a marvel of controlled lines and tones. Look at how the artist uses simple lines to define the planes of the fields and the gentle curves of the hills. The texture feels almost like a memory of a place, captured not just through sight, but through the feeling of the air and the lay of the land. Notice how the dense, almost oppressive darkness of the clouds contrasts with the open, hopeful plain. What's really cool to me is the way the artist uses the etching technique to create a kind of gritty, almost palpable texture. It reminds me a bit of some of the early 20th-century landscape prints, like those of Emil Nolde, where the scene becomes a vehicle for exploring the artist’s inner state. It’s a conversation across time, each artist adding their voice to the ongoing exploration of how we see, feel, and interpret the world around us.