Two Sketches of Trees (from Sketchbook) 1858 - 1916

Curator: Right, let’s talk about Henry Ward Ranger’s "Two Sketches of Trees" from his sketchbook, dated between 1858 and 1916. The medium is simple: graphite on paper. Currently it resides here, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: You know, seeing these sparse lines conjures up memories for me, something about winter landscapes and skeletal branches clawing at a gray sky. Very evocative despite the sketch-like quality. Curator: Precisely, what is so enticing is the immediacy, the way that Ranger captures the bare essence of a tree's structure, a language stripped to its core components. The composition divides the sheet into these two small worlds, where, through the use of line, one can see not merely shape, but even emotion rendered as landscape. Trees throughout art have always been emblems for growth, nature’s tenacity, maybe even spirituality… Editor: Yes, the starkness of the graphite really focuses your eye. I am struck, also, by how contemporary the feeling is, despite its creation at the cusp of the 20th century. The eye just darts around trying to figure out, "Okay, what are you trying to tell me, buddy?" It's quite cheeky. Curator: It's also compelling how the sketch confines nature within the boxes he's drawn around them. Think of all the philosophical debates about containing and framing nature… and the simple act of sketching performs it beautifully! Editor: It kind of reminds me, visually, of looking through an old camera obscura—this focused light creating an almost mystical rendition. Now, how would people then see this in comparison to now? Curator: An interesting consideration! Looking back, one would not perhaps focus on his "process" as such, as it wasn't meant for an audience. However, in this current context, the beauty resides precisely in the candidness, allowing modern audiences a closer bond to an older master… Editor: Indeed! A bit like eavesdropping on an artist’s intimate communion with nature. Something for us to keep mulling over…