Bloeiende boomgaard 1909

This is Matthieu Wiegman's 'Bloeiende boomgaard', and it feels like it was made with charcoal or graphite. The artist really went at it, scribbling and smudging to find the forms. I can feel Wiegman wrestling with this orchard. The lines are so restless, like he's trying to capture something fleeting, maybe the light filtering through the trees or the way the blossoms move in the breeze. It’s not about perfect representation but more like trying to translate a sensory experience onto paper. I imagine him outdoors, squinting at the light, and the landscape almost dissolving before his eyes. I bet he’s trying to nail down the essence of this place, rather than just depicting what it looks like. The swirls and scribbles that make up the leaves remind me of Van Gogh’s mark-making. There's this sense of movement and energy that makes you feel like you’re standing right there in the orchard.