Bomengroep en een heuvellandschap met bomen c. 1811

Andreas Schelfhout created this drawing of trees and a hilly landscape. Schelfhout used graphite on paper, employing a structural style of mark-making, where the trees and hillsides are reduced to a series of lines and shading. The composition is divided into distinct zones. The trees are drawn with a structural simplicity and with a concentration on shape rather than detail, which gives the drawing an austere aesthetic. The drawing's structure presents a series of dualities. One set of trees in a framed square and another set outside. The framing challenges the viewer's perception of space, drawing attention to the medium itself. The light and shadows rendered by Schelfhout's structured strokes create a depth that invites the viewer into the landscape. The drawing invites a closer inspection of the elements that shape our visual and intellectual understanding of the natural world. The simplicity in the form encourages us to reflect on how we perceive and represent the landscape.