Knotwilg aan het water 1872 - 1939

This charcoal drawing is called Knotwilg aan het water, made by Egbert Rubertus Derk Schaap. Imagine the artist standing right there by the water, squinting, charcoal in hand, ready to capture the scene. There's something so raw and immediate about charcoal, isn't there? The way it smudges and blends, the way it can create these velvety darks and soft lights. Schaap uses it to full effect here, building up this moody landscape with layers of scribbled lines and smudged shadows. I feel like he's trying to capture not just what he sees, but how it feels to be there, by the water, with the wind rustling through the trees. The willow itself seems to come alive beneath his hand, twisting and turning like a dancer caught in mid-leap. I find myself wondering what other artists he looked at, maybe some of the Barbizon School painters or even some of the early Impressionists. It's like we're all in this big conversation, riffing off each other's ideas, trying to make something new and exciting. I think that’s how we discover things about ourselves.