Jongen loopt over een bergpad before 1894

Willem Wenckebach made this landscape drawing with pen, black ink, and watercolor. Note how Wenckebach’s choice of materials gives the entire scene a slightly washed-out appearance. This isn't the majesty of the mountains, it is a far more common experience of a mountain trek under less than ideal weather conditions. The monochrome palette speaks to efficiency, and the production of imagery for mass consumption via printmaking. The visible, rapid strokes of ink and wash suggest this piece was not about the slow, careful observation so prized in academic painting. Rather, the artist has captured a fleeting impression. There is a sense of labor here, of quickly rendering the image before the weather shifts, or before that solitary figure moves on along the trail. By considering these elements of material and making, we can come to appreciate the image not just as a picturesque scene, but as a product of its time.