Trees at Evian 1997

This drawing of trees at Evian was made by Avigdor Arikha, but when exactly is not known. Imagine him, charcoal in hand, probably outside, looking, really looking at this copse of trees. There's a real energy here, and not a lot of detail, but it feels so alive! The artist really captures the shapes and forms, the textures of the leaves, and the ground cover below. The way the marks gather in the branches and trunks almost feels like there’s a conversation, between dark and light, the solid and the void. Arikha knew that sometimes, a few lines can say more than a whole lot of brushstrokes. I imagine him standing there, in all kinds of weather, just like painters such as Corot, working in the open air, en plein air as they say in French. Artists learn from each other, across time and place. It’s like one big conversation, passing down ideas and practices through generations. Anyway, next time you are in a forest, think of Arikha, and how a simple drawing can contain so much!