Zittende man naast een boom aan het water 1750 - 1809

David Alphonse de Sandoz-Rollin made this drawing of a seated man beside a tree, near water, with graphite on paper sometime in the late 18th century. Graphite, a form of carbon, leaves a grey metallic sheen on the page, a mark made by the artist’s hand. The amount of labor it takes to make this landscape scene is minimal, and the quickness of the medium lends itself to the direct, unembellished depiction of the scene. Note how Sandoz-Rollin captured the textural qualities of the natural environment; the roughness of the tree bark, the gentle sway of the leaves, and the smoothness of the water's surface are all evoked with simple, yet precise, marks. This immediacy invites us to consider the value placed on direct observation, and the growing appreciation for the natural world as a source of artistic inspiration at the time. Drawings like this remind us that art is not only about the final image, but also about the process of seeing, feeling, and recording the world around us.