Reinder Homan - hand-signed etching/aquatint | 'Chestnut-Edam' | 2014

Offered is a beautiful and extremely refined graphic artwork by the well-known Northern realist Reinder Homan (1950).

Homan, whose work is included in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, among others, enjoys national and international renown for his fabulous etching technique. This particular print forms an absolute core idea within his artistic legacy: it is a beautiful example of the most authentic and beloved character of his oeuvre, in which the pure beauty of nature takes center stage. An iconic motif full of stillness and detail.

Central to this delicate etching is a solitary, widely branched chestnut tree in its winter or early spring guise. Homan has scratched the whimsical anatomy of the trunk and the hundreds of wafer-thin twigs into the copper plate with an almost meditative discipline. High in the crown, a number of large bird nests are subtly visible, giving the tree a beautifully weathered and monumental character.

Particularly striking is the atmospheric layering in the background. Behind the iron railings, a classic village or city scene emerges in a misty tonality. A subtly lit window in one of the buildings introduces a gentle human element into the composition without disturbing the serene tranquility. It is graphic perfection down to the square centimeter with which Homan makes the poetry of the Dutch landscape tangible.


The whole is in neat condition. Signed, dated, and numbered in pencil by the artist.