Landschap met bomen aan een waterkant 1905

Willem Cornelis Rip made this little landscape with trees by a riverbank as a drawing. It's all about marks, isn't it? How else do you make a picture? He's working so directly, almost like automatic writing; a quick response to the world. The density of the pencil work gives it body, substance; the trees especially feel substantial. It's a kind of touch, you know? Notice how he uses the side of the pencil to create tone and depth in the sky, then switches to a sharp point to define the edges of the trees and the reflection in the water. The whole picture plane is so unified and active, but then there are little moments of articulation. There's something about Rip's work that reminds me of Corot, that same interest in capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere with such simple means. Rip’s landscapes, like all good art, are more about the process and journey than any fixed destination.