Boerderij met rieten dak 1895 - 1938

This is Hans Nieser’s ‘Boerderij met rieten dak,’ or ‘Farm with a Thatched Roof,’ etched with a drypoint needle, resulting in the soft, velvety blacks we see. The mark-making here is so beautiful, a real testament to the power of process. Look at how Nieser renders the thatched roof with these tiny, dense strokes. Each line feels so considered, like he's really thinking about the texture and weight of the straw. The surface of the print is smooth, but the ink sits on the paper in a way that makes you want to reach out and touch it. It's fascinating how the artist describes the scene in the print, using such sparse marks to conjure a whole world. This reminds me of the landscapes of Hercules Segers, who was another printmaker with a real sense of atmosphere and light. Both artists remind us that art is just this ongoing conversation, this constant exchange of ideas.