Drie knotwilgen langs een sloot 1872 - 1939

Egbert Schaap made this drawing of three pollard willows along a ditch probably sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. I can imagine him there, pencil in hand, trying to capture the light and the feeling of the landscape. The strokes are delicate, almost hesitant, but there's a sureness in how he describes the forms of the trees. I wonder what he was thinking about as he worked. Was he concerned with accurately depicting the scene, or was he more interested in capturing a certain mood? The tonal range in this piece gives a real sense of depth, and although it's not the most dramatic or emotionally charged image, there’s something very satisfying about the artist's careful observation and translation of the world onto paper. The drawing is part of a long conversation artists have been having for centuries, each one building on and responding to those who came before.