Three birch trees 

This is Karl Peter Burnitz's drawing "Three Birch Trees" held at the Städel Museum. Notice how the composition is structured around a central cluster of birch trees, rendered with delicate pencil strokes. The lines vary in pressure and direction, creating a sense of depth and texture. Burnitz captures the verticality of the trees against a softer, indeterminate background. The precision of the trunks contrasts with the more diffuse rendering of the foliage, playing with positive and negative space. The composition employs a strategic arrangement of line and tone, destabilizing traditional landscape conventions by focusing on the structural elements of the trees. The drawing transforms natural forms into a study of shape and structure, inviting us to reconsider our perception of landscape. It highlights the aesthetic possibilities within seemingly simple subjects. The drawing’s formal qualities ultimately serve as a lens through which to view the natural world.