#4 Creek c. 1923

Arthur Dove made this drawing, #4 Creek, with charcoal on paper. The velvety, dark marks feel almost geological, like the slow build-up of layers in a cave, or the rings in a tree trunk. It's like Dove is using the charcoal to feel his way into the landscape. The textures here are amazing. Look at how he uses the side of the charcoal to create broad, smudgy areas, then digs in with the tip for those sharp, defined edges. It’s all about pressure and touch, isn’t it? That cluster of circular marks at the bottom looks almost organic, like cells under a microscope, or pebbles in a stream. Dove’s abstracting the landscape, breaking it down to these essential forms. Dove’s work reminds me of Georgia O’Keefe, another artist who found ways to distill the world around her into these powerful, almost mystical shapes. Like O'Keefe, he's not just showing us what he sees, but how he feels. And isn’t that what art’s all about? Leaving space for us to feel, too.