Struikgewas en geboomte 1939 - 2009

Kees Stoop made this charcoal drawing of shrubbery and trees in 1987. Charcoal, you know, is basically burnt sticks, so, already, the artist is engaging with landscape in quite a direct, elemental way. I imagine Stoop outside, in the woods, rapidly capturing the scene with energetic strokes, leaning into the tooth of the paper. I bet he felt cold doing this, as the drawing is dated October 17. Look closely, and you can almost feel the texture of the bark, the density of the foliage, and the cool dampness of the forest floor. He has distributed the tonal values evenly; the dark, dense thickets create such a contrast with the stark white of the page that they appear to vibrate. The image teeters interestingly between representation and abstraction. This reminds me of other landscape artists such as Van Gogh or Mondrian, who push the boundaries of perception and representation to convey their own unique vision.