Gezicht op een vijver bij Paleis het Loo 1908 - 1909

Simon Moulijn made this landscape drawing of a pond near Paleis het Loo, and you can see the marks are soft, smudged and almost dissolving into the surface. I like to think that the artist Moulijn was trying to capture a fleeting moment in time. Maybe it was early morning, or late afternoon and the light created a certain atmosphere. It’s so quiet, the air is still, the surface of the water hardly ripples. But maybe there was the sound of birds or wind moving through the trees? These marks are not about describing what the artist sees, but about evoking a feeling. I can almost feel the cool air and sense of calm. It's interesting how the artist chose to use such a restricted palette of greys and blacks. It’s almost like he’s inviting us to slow down and appreciate the subtleties of the scene. It reminds me a bit of the tonalist paintings from the same period, where artists like James McNeill Whistler and George Inness, were trying to capture a mood and atmosphere rather than a literal representation of a scene. It’s all about finding a way to express what’s inside of you and what you feel when you are there.