Landschap met een pad langs huizen c. 1904 - 1912

Ferdinand Oldewelt made this landscape drawing of a path alongside some houses, with what looks like a graphite pencil, and a very soft one at that. Look at the way he lets the tones build up through many small marks, it shows that art making is about a process of layering and mark making. The texture of the paper is integral to the work: it’s allowed to breathe through the marks and create a sense of light. There's a beautiful density in the upper part of the drawing, where the tree's foliage nearly obscures the sky. I'm drawn to the small house in the middle ground, the way it is rendered with just a few lines, a little gem of clarity amidst the textural complexity. Oldewelt’s contemporaries include the artists of the Hague School. Like them, his work acknowledges that art is an ongoing conversation, embracing ambiguity, and inviting multiple interpretations.