Twee bomen 1887 - 1924

Julie de Graag made this drawing of two trees with crayon on paper. I love the bold marks. There’s a real confidence to the stark representation, a kind of knowing the essence of a tree. I imagine Julie standing outside, perhaps a little cold, quickly getting down the bare bones of the scene before her. The trunks are like faceted, cubist columns, topped with a burst of radiating lines that suggest foliage. Look at how the crayon is dragged across the surface, creating a grainy texture. Those dark marks leaning to the left evoke a sense of the wind, don’t they? It reminds me of other artists preoccupied with landscape and the raw marks of drawing, people like Van Gogh and Agnes Martin. Artists are always looking at each other's work, even across time, picking up ideas, and pushing them further. It's this ongoing conversation that keeps art alive, wouldn't you agree?