Man te paard in een landschap 1920

This print, Man on Horseback in a Landscape, was made by Hans Thoma, and it has that dreamy, old-world feel. I imagine Thoma, with his engraver's tools, carefully etching these lines into the metal. He might have been thinking about the art of storytelling, fairytales, and myths, creating a narrative through subtle gestures. Look at the figure of the horseman, how he holds the spear, and the calm horse, and the swan. What could this moment mean? The surface of the print is so delicate; it's like a whisper from the past. The way Thoma uses line reminds me of other artists who were exploring the same territory—the symbolists, maybe, or even some of the early Surrealists. Artists are always bouncing ideas off each other, across time and space. Ultimately, it opens up possibilities, allowing for all sorts of stories to emerge.