Zeven boomstammen met takken zonder blad 1939 - 2009

Kees Stoop made this drawing of seven tree trunks with bare branches at an unknown date, using pen and ink. There is a real feeling of process here, a kind of all-overness created with a meticulous application of marks. Up close, you can see how the texture of the bark is built from these tiny hatchings and dots. The branches are like scribbles thrown into the mix, creating a dense, almost claustrophobic space. It’s fascinating how Stoop manages to suggest depth and volume with just line, creating something that feels both flat and three-dimensional at the same time. Those stark, black lines against the pale paper give the image a stark, wintry feel. You can see echoes of the graphic intensity of someone like Alfred Kubin in Stoop's work, that same feeling of a world teeming with unseen forces. Ultimately, it’s up to us to decide what we see in those trees; a study of nature or something more ominous.