Corte II

Lodewijk Schelfhout made this etching called Corte II sometime in the early 20th century. I love how he's built up the image with so many tiny, precise marks. You can almost feel the artist's hand moving carefully across the plate, building up the image bit by bit. It’s a real testament to the labour involved in printmaking. Looking closely, you can see how Schelfhout uses the density of the lines to create tone and shadow. The tree on the right, for instance, is rendered with incredibly fine, close-knit lines that give it a real sense of volume and depth. Then, contrast that with the lighter, more open lines used in the sky. It’s like he’s sculpting the image with light and shadow. My eye keeps going back to the bridge in the foreground. The way he’s captured the texture of the stone is just amazing. Schelfhout reminds me a little bit of M.C. Escher, with his interest in perspective and architectural forms, though Schelfhout has a softer touch. Art's an ongoing dialogue, right?