Doortje en gezelschap steken een brug over before 1940

Rein van Looy made this drawing, “Doortje en gezelschap steken een brug over” with ink, I imagine, given it’s a landscape rendered only in black and white. The dark ink kind of bleeds and pools in places— like the bottom half of the page—and it’s very precise in others. The title suggests that we’re following this witch, Doortje, as she crosses a bridge, but I’m distracted by these other figures in the foreground. The two gnarly, big, ancient trees on either side of the composition remind me of silent, watchful gargoyles. I’m thinking, what was van Looy thinking? Did he see the forest as a place of enchantment? Were they just trying to capture some vision of their childhood imagination? The entire picture dances between a children's story and something much darker, much more strange. It feels almost allegorical, as if the artist is having a silent conversation with other masters of the dark and whimsical.