Glooiend landschap met hoge bomengroep 1867 - 1935

This landscape with tall trees was made by Maurits van der Valk using pen and brush in grey ink. The immediate impression is one of tonal balance, but with marked verticals from the closely grouped trees disrupting an otherwise horizontal composition of land, water and sky. The trees dominate, their solid forms contrasted by the soft washes of the sky. This interplay between line and wash suggests a concern with the structure of the landscape, as much as its appearance. Van der Valk's use of a monochromatic palette brings emphasis to the composition. The visual elements are reduced to their most basic forms, creating a study in contrasts: light and dark, solid and void, vertical and horizontal. The artist seems less interested in depicting a specific location, and more in exploring the underlying structure of landscapes. This approach aligns with the formalist tradition, where the emphasis is on the visual elements and their arrangement, rather than any external narrative. Each viewer is invited to find new meanings in the artwork.