Weidelandschap met bomen 1900 - 1931

Willem Bastiaan Tholen made this drawing of trees and landscape using graphite on paper. Look closely at the marks; they’re tentative, searching, like he’s feeling his way through the landscape. It’s as if he's asking, “What does it mean to capture the essence of these trees?” I imagine him standing there, squinting, the wind maybe rustling the leaves, trying to translate what he sees into these simple lines. There’s a real sense of immediacy here, a direct connection between his eye, hand, and the paper. It’s not about perfection but about the process of seeing and understanding. You see Tholen in his practice. This reminds me a little of Constable's cloud studies – artists trying to grasp something fleeting and elemental. It makes me want to grab a pencil and start drawing, not to create a masterpiece, but just to see what happens.