Boerin met juk met melkemmers op de schouders, lopend door een korenveld 1906

Jan Toorop made this drawing, “Boerin met juk met melkemmers op de schouders, lopend door een korenveld”, or “Farmer with yoke and milk pails on her shoulders, walking through a cornfield” using colored pencil. Isn’t it interesting how an artist decides where to place a mark? What color to make it? Look at the gentle strokes of green, yellow, and brown, like scattered confetti, creating a field. It’s not just a field; it's a feeling of a field. Up close, you can see how he uses layers of colored pencil to create depth and texture. The strokes of color are like individual threads, woven together to create the fabric of the landscape. The woman is rendered simply, but her form is solid against the hazy background. I’m thinking of Van Gogh, another artist preoccupied with rural life. Both of them capture the essence of a place, not just its surface. It's not about perfection; it's about capturing something real.