Landschap met een afgezet gat in de grond 1874 - 1878

Willem Cornelis Rip created this landscape with pencil on paper. The drawing portrays a raw, unsettling scene. Look at the rough marks, the uneven shading. There's a directness to the hand at work here, a lack of pretension. The texture of the paper itself becomes part of the image, adding to the sense of immediacy. Consider the subject: a hole dug in the ground, crudely framed with timber. It speaks of manual labor, of physical effort expended. The lone figure of a woman nearby adds a human element, perhaps suggesting a narrative of rural life, of struggle and resilience. Was Rip drawing attention to their plight, or simply documenting a scene he encountered? Either way, the drawing invites us to contemplate the realities of labor and class. Ultimately, Rip's drawing reminds us that art isn't just about aesthetics, it's about engaging with the world around us, with the people and places that shape our lives.