IJsbergen in de Noordelijke IJszee 1880 - 1888

Louis Apol made this sketch of icebergs in the North Arctic Sea using graphite on paper. It’s fascinating how a simple material like graphite can capture the immensity and drama of these frozen landscapes. The artist uses hatching and shading to give volume to the icebergs, playing with the contrast between light and shadow. The way the graphite is applied reveals a lot about the process. You can almost see the artist’s hand moving across the page, building up the forms with layers of tiny strokes. Apol was one of the last Dutch Romantic painters, so his sketches are exercises in observation and technique rather than social commentary. The very act of sketching outdoors is a kind of labor; it is a physical interaction with the environment. Ultimately, this drawing is a reminder that even the most seemingly simple works of art involve a complex interplay of materials, processes, and human effort.