Heuvellandschap met enkele huizen en links een rivier 1801 - 1873

Pieter George Westenberg made this landscape drawing with watercolor and paper in the 19th century. The materials here are quite simple, and that is very much the point. The artist has used diluted washes of watercolor to conjure the scene, which, like the method itself, evokes a sense of lightness. The way that watercolor sits on the paper is essential to the image’s effect. Its translucent quality allows the whiteness of the paper to shine through, creating highlights and defining the atmospheric conditions. The application of watercolor can be very labor intensive, with the artist applying layer upon layer of translucent color wash. But here, the image appears effortless, a quick impression dashed off. It’s a reminder that even the most apparently straightforward works can be grounded in a complex process and a skilled tradition. Hopefully, thinking about these materials and techniques helps you see this work in a new light.