Figuren in een bos 1865 - 1913

This sketch, Figuren in een bos, was created by Bramine Hubrecht. What strikes you first about this drawing is probably its incompleteness, a skeletal structure of lines which only just define the figures and the forest they occupy. Hubrecht's use of line is critical here. The sketch employs a kind of visual shorthand, inviting us to complete the image in our minds. This interplay between what is shown and what is suggested engages directly with semiotic theory. Each line acts as a signifier, pointing towards the fuller image of figures amidst trees. The horizontal lines create a stark contrast with the chaotic arrangement of organic shapes, perhaps challenging the conventional landscape painting and questioning traditional notions of space and form. In doing so, Hubrecht presents us not with a definitive picture, but with a field of possibilities. This openness invites a continual process of interpretation.