Boomstudie 1759 - 1799

Here we see ‘Boomstudie,’ a drawing by Steven Goblé, made sometime in the late 18th century. Goblé lived during a time of social upheaval, when old orders were collapsing, and the seeds of modern revolution were being sown. In this quiet scene, notice how Goblé's delicate lines capture the wind moving through the leaves, the textures of the bark. But what does it mean to study trees at this moment in history? In his time the natural world was often viewed through the lens of ownership and resources. The land and its resources as things to be exploited and controlled. Here, Goblé seems to be doing something different. The trees in his drawing aren’t specimens of nature, but intimate portraits. We see each tree as an individual, their forms shaped by time and the elements. The act of studying them becomes an act of empathy, a quiet statement in a world of constant change. It invites us to consider our own relationship with the natural world.