Hooioppers in een weiland c. 1909s

Alexander Shilling made this sketch of haystacks in a field sometime between 1859 and 1937. The drawing, captured in graphite, has a lovely energy to it, right? It's like Shilling was chasing something fleeting, trying to capture the essence of these haystacks before the light changed. You can almost feel his hand moving quickly, making marks, and letting the shapes emerge. What was he thinking as he worked? Was he interested in the forms of the haystacks, their placement in the field, or simply the way light and shadow danced across their surfaces? There's a conversation happening here between Shilling and all the artists who have ever tried to capture the beauty of the natural world. It’s a reminder that art is never made in a vacuum; instead, it is built upon the ideas and practices of those who came before, while also embracing the uncertainty and ambiguity that makes art so endlessly fascinating.