Down on the Valley Road

Henri Benedictus Van Raalte

Van Raalte became an etcher at the height of the late 19th and early 20th century’s etching revival. Far from the staid, academic reproductive works that had occupied much of the early 19th century, these artists employed expression and mood to capture what might otherwise seem ordinary.

In this etching, Van Raalte’s depiction of an English valley, seen from a hilltop crowned with a lush, old oak tree, showcases his talent for producing an atmospheric, soft quality from a plate and etching needle.

From the collection of Danish critic and author Georg Bröchner, who wrote for the British art magazine "The Studio" in the early 20th century.