Afgemeerde schepen aan de oever van de Ganges in Benares 1917

Wijnand Otto Jan Nieuwenkamp made this etching of boats moored on the Ganges in Benares, using delicate lines to capture a sense of place. Imagine the artist standing there, squinting in the sun, maybe sweating a little, as he sketches. What was he thinking about when he made it? Did he spend ages getting that boat just right, then knock it over with a clumsy stroke? It’s easy to feel for him. There’s a real sense of openness, of things being provisional and unfixed. It reminds me of other artists who used line to create space and depth, like Twombly. It feels like a conversation across time, those guys bouncing ideas off each other even though they never met. But of course, it’s not just about the lines themselves. It’s about the space around them, the way they dance together. Painting is all about possibilities, not just about making something perfect, but about letting things happen, and I see so much potential here!