Bosrand 1939 - 2009

Editor: So, here we have Kees Stoop's "Bosrand," a landscape drawing made sometime between 1939 and 2009, rendered in ink. It gives me a really somber, quiet feeling. The trees seem to blend together, creating almost a screen. What do you see in it? Curator: "Bosrand," hmm, Edge of the Woods... It evokes something primal, doesn't it? Almost a collective memory of the forest, seen more as a looming presence than a place of individual trees. It makes me think of those old fairytales where the forest is a place of trials and transformation. Do you think that feeling of enclosure is intentional, given the artist's use of line? Editor: It definitely feels deliberate. There is barely any light breaking through the trees. It’s as if he’s trying to trap you in that space. Do you think the stark simplicity of the drawing adds to that feeling? Curator: Absolutely. The lack of detail almost forces you to project your own feelings and anxieties onto the scene. The starkness acts like a mirror reflecting back our inner landscapes, shrouded with doubt. Almost as though we are observing this "Bosrand" on the other side of the glass. Does it invite you to venture in? Or to run? Editor: It certainly doesn’t invite me! I appreciate your insights. The idea of projecting my own fears makes a lot of sense given the atmosphere. Curator: And, hopefully, understand them a little better too! Every landscape has a story. Perhaps, even the potential to change our own.