Schuur in de Saiterpolder 1892 - 1940

Henri Verstijnen made this pen drawing, titled "Schuur in de Saiterpolder," sometime in the early 20th century, capturing a rural scene with delicate lines. Look at the barn, built from countless strokes suggesting the texture of aged wood. I can imagine Verstijnen standing in a field, squinting against the light, quickly mapping the scene. He must have felt the cold wind while drawing those reeds. The composition feels honest, immediate; he probably wasn't trying to be too precious about it. The quick marks that make up the landscape remind me of the work of other landscape artists like Jacob Maris, all capturing the quiet beauty of the Dutch countryside. You can see how the work of one artist builds on the last, in an ongoing conversation about how to see, how to feel, and how to express the world around them. The way Verstijnen renders the cloud formations and the trees is all his own, though. Each artist brings something new.