Road in the Marches c. 1911

Muirhead Bone made this drawing, Road in the Marches, with pencil and watercolor. I love the muted grays and greens, and the almost vibrating energy of the pencil lines. You can feel the artist carefully observing and translating this landscape onto the page. I wonder if he sat and made this on the spot, trying to capture the atmosphere. I'm really drawn to the way the trees are rendered; they almost have a personality. I can imagine Muirhead Bone considering how to draw each little mark, each branch, and how they come together to create a whole tree. He must have observed them for some time. And then the way the road leads the eye back to the distant church, a testament to the artist's skill in creating depth. Bone's way of seeing the world reminds me of Corot, who was painting landscapes a bit earlier. Artists are always learning from each other, aren't they? Looking at this, I just want to pick up a pencil and start drawing the world around me.