Landschap met huifkar en woonwagen c. 1915

Jan Daum made this landscape with a covered wagon and trailer, using etching, and it’s all about the journey of the hand and the eye, isn't it? The magic here is in the details. Look at those spindly trees on the right – they're like skeletal fingers reaching up, so delicate, yet so full of life. The artist's hand is evident in every mark, creating a sense of depth and texture with the barest of means, almost a memory of the real thing. The watery foreground gives way to those horse drawn wagons in the distance, a way of seeing which is all the more beautiful for its transience. It reminds me a bit of Whistler, in the way he captures a sense of place with just a few lines, a fleeting impression. It's all about suggestion, inviting us to fill in the blanks and make the scene our own. Art is never finished, only abandoned, as someone cleverer than me once said.