River valley 

Peter Becker’s "River Valley," at the Städel Museum, invites a gaze into a landscape rendered with delicate graphite lines. The composition reveals a scene where the textures of foliage and rock formations create a dialogue between the wild and the serene. Becker's orchestration of light and shadow animates the valley, giving shape to the slopes and depth to the clusters of trees. The absence of color directs our attention to the materiality of the graphite itself, to the subtle shifts in tone which define form and space. Consider how Becker uses line to structure this natural setting; each stroke contributes to a larger semiotic system that evokes depth, texture, and movement. He destabilizes the clear distinction between foreground and background, challenging our sense of perspective and representation. The drawing becomes a site where we can contemplate nature.