Group of trees 

This is Franz Kobell’s "Group of Trees," a drawing now held at the Städel Museum. The composition immediately draws you into a world defined by lines, hatching and cross-hatching that defines space and form. The artist's marks of strokes seem to be more about capturing the essence of each element, rather than its exact appearance. Each stroke contributes to the overall structure and organization of the landscape. The trees are not just objects; they are a play of light and shadow, of density and openness. Kobell seems less concerned with the picturesque and more interested in the underlying structures that make up the natural world. It invites us to consider how the semiotic system of lines, tones, and textures comes together to represent something beyond the mere visual. It makes you wonder whether Kobell seeks to destabilize conventional ways of seeing nature. How does this interplay challenge fixed meanings, and invite us to explore new ways of perceiving space and representation?