Staande en zittende figuren rondom een boom c. 1863 - 1864

Maria Vos created this sketch, "Standing and Sitting Figures Around a Tree," using graphite on paper. The composition centers on a large tree, its canopy spreading across the upper portion of the scene. The figures, sketched with quick, light strokes, are arranged around its base, creating a sense of communal gathering. The loose rendering invites us to decode the image as a semiotic structure. The tree serves as a dominant signifier of nature, around which human interactions unfold. The figures, while not distinctly detailed, suggest varied social interactions through their poses and arrangements, indicative of human activity within natural settings. Vos’s emphasis on the interplay between the natural and the social reflects a structuralist interest in how such environments shape human behavior. The sketch is not just a depiction but an exploration of relationships between people and place, leaving the work open to interpretation.