The Windmill
1641
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From the collection of National Gallery of Art
You see a windmill on a hill, dark lines making its wooden arms cut the light. The sky is textured with short, scratchy marks that show wind and weather. A few thin trees lean beside it. This isn’t a photo. It’s an etching, where Rembrandt scratched lines into a metal plate with acid. The shadows feel deep but the light still pushes through. Look up etching next time you’re near the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
