Ruiter te paard bij een stad op een heuvel 1942

Lodewijk Schelfhout created this print of a rider on horseback by a hillside town. The image is built up with thin, wiry lines that create textures and tone, like a musical score made visual. I imagine Schelfhout outside, perhaps squinting in the sun to study his subject, the horse and rider mere interruptions of the landscape. The sky is suggested with dense marks, setting off the architectural details. The buildings, the bridge—these structural forms are rendered with great detail. What’s interesting is the contrast between the rigid architecture and the organic forms of the trees. See how the foliage at the top and right edges of the image droop and sway? This tension reminds me of other artists, like Van Gogh or Munch. I'm always interested in how the artist translates what they see into the physical act of mark-making. It’s a visual conversation across time. The artist makes a statement, and we, the viewers, respond in kind.