Gezicht tussen bomen in een woud in Nederlands-Indië 1921 - 1922

Jan Veth made this watercolour of a forest in the Dutch East Indies at an unknown date. It's a masterclass in understatement! The colour palette is so restrained, almost monochrome, yet within that limited range, he coaxes out a whole world of textural and tonal variation. Look at how he renders the massive roots of those trees, a flurry of tiny strokes that somehow convey both weight and delicacy. It reminds me of Philip Guston's late work, that same embrace of humble materials to create something monumental. There's a beautiful ambiguity here, a sense of the forest as both solid and ethereal. Just as with Guston, the real subject is the act of seeing itself. It's not just about representing a place, but about how we perceive and engage with it.