Grote treurbeuk op kerkhof

Frans Smissaert made this pencil drawing, Grote treurbeuk op kerkhof, of a weeping beech in a graveyard. The entire composition feels like a web of grey lines, all these marks coming together to make something that trembles with emotion. Looking at it, I keep thinking about process. The layered marks reveal the artist's thinking, each line a step in the journey. See how the tree's trunk is built up with these soft, smudgy strokes? It gives this incredible sense of volume, but it's all just an illusion made of graphite on paper. The crosses at the bottom seem almost gestural, like quick notations of loss. There's one in the center that’s slightly bolder, slightly darker, as though to emphasize a personal connection. It reminds me of the early drawings of Van Gogh, where everything is about capturing a feeling more than a literal depiction. It’s like Smissaert is having a conversation, not just with the scene, but with the act of drawing itself. A beautiful, melancholic conversation, full of vulnerability and quiet contemplation.