Groep bomen op een lage heuvel 1912 - 1940

Dick Ket made this drawing, *Group of Trees on a Low Hill*, at an unknown date with pencil on paper. You can see Ket’s process in the hatching and cross-hatching which creates tone and form; he's building up the image mark by mark. What I find striking about this drawing is the way the gray of the paper is almost a colour in itself. It's a soft, enveloping tone that creates a quiet, melancholic mood. Look at the way he renders the trees; they are solid but also delicate, their forms defined by subtle variations in pressure and line. See how the pencil lines build up the volume of the trees. The trees almost seem to huddle together for warmth. Ket really makes you feel the stillness of the landscape. I think of other artists who have captured similar feelings through their drawings, like maybe a Morandi, who also found profound beauty in simplicity and repetition. For me, art’s not about answers but about embracing the mystery.