Koe in het duin 1907

Willem Cornelis Rip made this work, 'Koe in het duin', with graphite, giving it a direct and intimate feel. I can imagine Rip, out there in the dunes, quickly sketching to capture the scene. The cow is so present, isn’t it? You can almost feel the breeze and smell the grass. Look how Rip uses line to define the cow’s form, giving it weight and presence. The quick, scribbled marks in the foreground suggest the texture of the dunes. You can see a sort of conversation happening between different forms of mark-making: loose, gestural lines and more descriptive, controlled strokes. It reminds me of other plein air painters, who are trying to capture fleeting moments in nature. It's a reminder that artists are always in conversation with one another, building on the ideas and techniques of those who came before.