Twee boerenhuizen met een slapende man c. 1654 - 1720

Here is the audio guide script: This is Richard Adam’s etching ‘Two Farmhouses with a Sleeping Man’. Note how Adam orchestrates the composition around a contrast between the static architecture and the organic forms of nature. Observe the textured lines defining the thatched roofs and brickwork of the farmhouses. See how this meticulous detail gives volume to the buildings, setting them against the softer, blurred outlines of the trees and sky. The figure of the sleeping man is almost absorbed by the landscape, suggesting a harmony between humans and their environment. Through controlled hatching and cross-hatching, Adam builds up a tonal range which defines the spatial relationships within the scene. By juxtaposing the geometric with the natural, the man-made with the organic, the artist creates a dialogue on the enduring themes of existence and our place within the world. Remember, the value of a work like this lies not in a fixed interpretation but in its capacity to provoke continuous thought.