Kvinde i landskab 1911

J.A. Jerichau (II) made this watercolor and pencil drawing called "Kvinde i landskab" sometime between 1890 and 1916. There’s a looseness to the marks, and a kind of searching, which really suggests that artmaking is a process of discovery. I love the material honesty of this piece. The paint is thin, translucent, allowing the paper to breathe through. You can almost see the artist’s hand moving across the page, especially in the sketchy lines that define the figure and the landscape. Look at how the colors blend, creating soft, muted tones. The watery blues of the stream contrast with the earthy greens and browns of the foliage. Notice how the artist leaves parts of the paper untouched. It is like the drawing is exhaling. This piece reminds me of the watercolors of Cézanne, with their similar interest in light, form, and the materiality of paint. Like Cézanne, Jerichau seems to be less concerned with representation and more interested in capturing the essence of a scene, embracing ambiguity and multiple interpretations.