Pijnboom 1912

This print of a pine tree, by Reijer Stolk, is an exercise in mark-making economy. The artist has used a very basic vocabulary of lines and shapes to describe a complex natural scene. I’m really struck by the way the texture of the tree’s foliage is captured with just a few flicks of the tool. The black ink is applied in bold strokes, creating a strong contrast with the paper, and the light that rakes across the scene is represented by long lines that have a real sense of movement. There is a great interplay between the positive and negative spaces in the print, which invites the eye to move around the composition, activating the surface. Look at the thick black line of the tree trunk in contrast to the lightness of the sky, and the way the lines of the grass become more dense towards the bottom of the piece. This print reminds me of the work of Emil Nolde, another northern European artist who was really interested in capturing the mood and atmosphere of the natural world.