Heilige Sebastiaan 1915

Lodewijk Schelfhout made this print of Saint Sebastian sometime in the early twentieth century. Look at the fine strokes that build up the image. I imagine him etching the plate, wiping it down, and making each print by hand. He stands, haloed, over a miniature gothic city like a colossus, but his expression is pained. Etching is all about control, but there’s a tension between the sharp lines and the feeling of unease coming from the figure. What was Schelfhout thinking when he made this? Was he interested in the contrast between the soft, vulnerable body and the hard, angular city? This image makes me think about other artists like Käthe Kollwitz who used printmaking to convey emotion and social commentary. Artists are always talking to each other across time. Each mark embodies intention and feeling. These marks are never definitive; they always leave space for us to bring our own experiences.