Boerderij 1896 - 1897

Willem Cornelis Rip created this drawing titled 'Boerderij' using graphite. The composition invites the eye to wander across the rural scene, sketched with a focus on the structural elements of the landscape. The drawing's power lies in its sparse yet suggestive use of line. Rip employs a structuralist approach by reducing the scene to its essential forms, like the roof of the building rendered in sharp lines and the rounded shapes of the trees that dominate the skyline. The texture is achieved through varying densities of graphite, creating depth and shadow that imply form without fully defining it. Rip's work here engages with semiotics by allowing the simple shapes to function as signs. The house signifies shelter, the trees represent nature. This encourages a reading of the landscape, not just as a visual experience, but as a cultural space loaded with meaning. Rip emphasizes the subjective interpretation of space. He destabilizes the conventional landscape by presenting it as a field of signs, open to interpretation and re-interpretation.