Landschap met een huis, kerktoren en bomen c. 1863 - 1864

Maria Vos made this landscape sketch, likely in the mid-19th century, with graphite on paper. The immediacy of the graphite medium lends itself to capturing a fleeting moment, a scene observed and quickly translated to paper. The visible strokes reveal Vos's hand, marking the paper with varying pressure to create depth and texture. Lines build the scene, hatching and cross-hatching giving volume to the trees and the distant church tower. The paper itself, with its slight tooth, holds the graphite, allowing for a range of tonal values from light gray to near black. Consider the act of sketching itself: a portable, accessible practice, fundamentally different from the labor-intensive processes of painting at the time. Sketching allowed artists like Vos to directly engage with their surroundings, capturing the essence of a place and the effect of light. This directness brings us closer to the artist's experience, blurring the lines between observation, documentation, and creative expression.