Londen 1888 - 1934

This etching of London was made by Willem Adrianus Grondhout. I love how the image feels almost ghostly, like a memory fading at the edges. The texture is key here. See how the lines build up, creating depth and shadow, especially in the arches of the bridge and the reflections in the water? It’s like he’s carving into the light itself. The whole scene shimmers, a delicate balance between what’s there and what's suggested. Notice the detail around the buildings, those tiny vertical lines that suggest both grandeur and decay. It’s interesting to compare this to other etchings of cityscapes from this period. Think Whistler, maybe. There's that same interest in capturing a fleeting moment, an atmosphere, more than a literal representation. It’s an ongoing conversation, this business of trying to pin down the unpinnable. The artist invites us to contemplate what we see.