Bomen 1919 - 1921

This is "Bomen," a drawing by Willem Cornelis Rip. The composition is stark, split distinctly between an empty left page and the suggestion of a copse on the right. Rip uses line sparingly but effectively. See how the skeletal structure of the trees is rendered with quick, almost nervous strokes? The texture here isn’t just descriptive; it’s expressive. These lines don't simply represent trees; they evoke a sense of nature observed and translated through the artist's hand. Rip engages with the semiotic potential of the sketch. The barren left page acts as a negative space which highlights the active lines on the right. This contrast encourages us to reconsider the dichotomy between presence and absence. Notice again the texture of the pencil on paper. It creates an ephemeral and ongoing dialogue between the artist, the subject, and us, the viewers.