Grove 1880 - 1885

Curator: Looking at this dense collection of trees, I feel a strong sense of melancholy and silence. There is an uninviting somber tone despite the apparent liveliness of a natural environment. Editor: That’s interesting. We are currently looking at a pencil and graphite drawing entitled "Grove" by Santiago Rusiñol, created sometime between 1880 and 1885. I'm interested in that first impression given the complex and contested history surrounding depictions of landscape during this era. Curator: What do you mean contested? It feels quite straightforward, a record of a place. Editor: The landscape tradition in the late 19th century was heavily influenced by ideas about national identity, agrarian mythologies, and the social role of nature. Rusiñol, though, seems to have stepped outside of any nationalistic impulse, or at least muted them to explore something more intimate. The grove here isn't presented as bountiful land to be exploited, or picturesque scenery to celebrate; instead, the focus seems to be the quiet observation and perhaps the symbolization of natural mortality, if that makes any sense. Curator: Absolutely, look how he's created this intricate tapestry of strokes that give you a sensation of almost being engulfed by the sheer volume of slender trunks; it produces almost claustrophobia, right? He seems less focused on realism and more so in recreating an immersive scene for emotional contemplation through a recurring emphasis of these skeletal trees. The graphic style seems quite modern even by today's standards; almost Expressionistic in a way. Editor: And even without the color, the drawing's tonal range makes the wood feel deep, primordial almost. I wonder if this grove held particular meaning for Rusiñol; perhaps a space for meditation and solitude as an artist or possibly linked to the idea of death. Curator: Good point. Visually, there’s almost no grand spectacle, just relentless organic verticality; a quiet scene, though with a definite sense of scale and a distinct, introspective weight to it. It leaves me wanting to revisit to fully take it in. Editor: And for me, the lack of bombast is refreshing. "Grove" whispers rather than shouts and, like any worthwhile piece, reveals more each time we stop and really consider it.