Gezicht op Zaltbommel, 1672 1900 - 1903

The brothers Moreau made this vista of Zaltbommel in 1672 with pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, on multiple sheets. I think of those brothers sitting side-by-side, making marks and passing the paper to one another. The sweeping panoramic format really lets you sink into that cloudy day. Was it raining? I feel a longing, almost like a sadness, but then I imagine the two artists, heads bent over the work, their arms touching. Maybe they were thinking about war or the future. The tone is very subtle, using fine marks and gray washes to communicate something profound. Landscape is so often about something bigger than just ‘the landscape.’ I often wonder if the brothers knew how people would look at their rendering over three centuries later. I'm not sure what it means, but it makes me want to get back to the studio and make something today.