View over Flat Country 1906

Alphonse Legros made this drawing, View Over Flat Country, with delicate marks in graphite or something similar. The overall tone is soft, like faded sepia. I am thinking about the gentle, almost timid way the artist seems to have worked, feeling his way into the landscape. What was it like for him, building this expansive view with such humble means? Did he start with the figures, or the trees? It's a drawing about seeing, and it makes me think about Constable, with his cloud studies and commitment to capturing a fleeting moment. But Legros' drawing is also about touch. Look at the way he renders the bark on the trees, each line a small caress. I can imagine other artists looking at this one day and finding in it something quiet but important. Art is a conversation across time, and artists learn from each other, even when they don't know it.