Landscape with Cottages under Tall Trees ("The Puff of Wind") 1650 - 1652

Editor: Here we have Rembrandt van Rijn's "Landscape with Cottages under Tall Trees," also known as "The Puff of Wind," created sometime between 1650 and 1652 using ink. The drawing is striking – almost stark. It’s the trees that grab my attention, especially given their prominence in what's considered a landscape. What do you see in this piece, especially in relation to how it was made? Curator: The means of production immediately strike me. Ink, typically a tool for writing and record-keeping, is here elevated to create a compelling landscape. Look at the layering. Rembrandt isn't just depicting a scene; he’s using the material qualities of ink – its flow, its capacity for variation in tone – to convey atmosphere, and that breeze in the trees. How does this subvert your understanding of drawing at the time? Editor: I see what you mean. It's almost as if he’s treating the ink as a sculptural material, building up textures and forms, rather than simply outlining them. The ink suggests volume and movement, capturing a fleeting moment. So, what were the implications of this? Curator: Exactly! Think about the art market then. Paintings were highly valued and collaborative processes more respected, whereas drawing was closer to craft – an individual, almost mundane practice. By investing so much skill and artistic intention into it, Rembrandt challenged the hierarchical structure, granting a humble medium a significant expressive power. Did landscape come with its own values at the time, its own place in a system? Editor: Definitely. I think he blurred the lines between the fine arts and what was considered simple craft. Also landscape represented something… Curator: Precisely! Reflecting the changing relationship between humans and nature during the Dutch Golden Age, but doing so using the directness and availability of ink as a raw material for artistic production. Editor: That is really insightful! Considering his artistic choice provides such an engaging narrative that challenges our view of the material and art itself. Curator: Yes, we need to remember to read closely every artistic creation. Thank you for walking through this with me, I see the materiality of art clearer now!