Werkende vrouw voor een boerderij te Dennenheuvel bij Hattem 1907

Willem Cornelis Rip made this drawing of a working woman in front of a farmhouse in Dennenheuvel near Hattem using graphite or charcoal. It's really all about the marks; look at those hatching marks, and how they build up the form of the roof and the texture of the thatch. It's not just about copying what's there, but about finding a language of marks that can suggest the feeling of the place. What strikes me is the materiality of the work, the way the artist coaxes the image out of the page with these simple strokes. Notice how the darkness of the marks varies, creating depth and shadow. The woman herself is just a few scribbled lines, but they're enough to give us a sense of her presence, her labor. And that tree to the left is rendered with such an economy of means. It reminds me of some of Van Gogh's drawings, especially those he made early in his career. Like Van Gogh, Rip is interested in the everyday, in the lives of ordinary people. It's a reminder that art doesn't always have to be grand or spectacular; it can also be quiet, intimate, and deeply human.