Sydfransk landskab med træer i forgrunden 1912

This is Sydfransk landskab med træer i forgrunden, made with pen and ink on paper by J.A. Jerichau (II). What I love about pen and ink is the raw immediacy of it, how the process is so visible. You can feel the artist working through the composition, almost thinking aloud on the page. The color is minimal, but the marks aren't! There’s a kind of restless energy here, particularly in the foreground. Look how the rapid, scribbled lines create depth and texture, almost like the foliage is vibrating. Notice the way the artist uses different densities of line to suggest shadow and form. The tree on the right, its trunk made up of parallel vertical strokes, somehow anchors the whole scene. In Jerichau’s broader work, you see similar explorations of landscapes, rendered with a directness that reminds me a bit of Van Gogh, but with a gentler touch. Art is always a conversation, right?