Naaldbomen 1939 - 2009

Editor: Here we have "Naaldbomen," or "Conifers," a charcoal drawing by Kees Stoop, created sometime between 1939 and 2009. There's a raw, almost sketch-like quality to it that I find quite compelling. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: For me, this piece highlights the labor inherent in creating an image. Look at the materiality of the charcoal itself, how it interacts with the surface of the paper. We're seeing the physical act of mark-making, the process of transforming raw material into a representation. Editor: So, you’re less focused on the forest depicted and more on the “how” of its creation? Curator: Precisely. Consider the cultural context too. Charcoal, a humble material, elevates this depiction of nature. The artist is actively engaged with the landscape, consuming it visually and re-presenting it through the specific lens of their own labor. Notice the very deliberate strokes: dark, textured, each holding material significance. Editor: That’s an interesting way to consider it, seeing the physical effort and the materials themselves as a key part of the artwork’s meaning. Curator: Absolutely. This challenges our traditional notion of ‘high art,’ inviting us to acknowledge the value of process and materiality. We often overlook the relationship between creation, consumption, and the environment, yet the artwork displays all of them at once. Editor: I’ve never thought about landscapes that way, focused on the making instead of the image itself. Curator: Stoop is prompting us to consider how artistic processes both transform and interact with the world around us, making it impossible to think of just one meaning. What a profound exercise in connecting us all!