Studie van kale bomen (de Jansweg te Laren) 1876 - 1915

This is "Studie van kale bomen (de Jansweg te Laren)", a pencil drawing by Ferdinand Hart Nibbrig. The study of bare trees is laid out with an insistent underlying grid. This suggests the drawing isn’t just an observation, but a structured investigation into form and space. The composition is dominated by the skeletal silhouettes of trees, their branches reaching across the page in a complex network of lines. These lines, rendered with a delicate touch, create a sense of depth and volume. The grid provides a framework for this organic chaos, almost as if to impose order on the natural scene. This tension between the grid and the natural form creates a fascinating dynamic, destabilizing a clear representation. What does the grid signify? Is it a tool for measurement, a means of control, or a reflection on the relationship between art and reality? The artist prompts us to see how structure and form dictate the terms of representation, and opens the path to the underlying frameworks that shape our perceptions.