Begroeide bomen in Dordtwijk c. 2013

Rein Dool made this work on paper of trees in Dordtwijk, using graphite or charcoal, to create an image that’s built up of many tiny marks. I think of the artist standing for hours, translating a world of green and brown and light into a black and white pattern, recording a motif, almost like writing or code. I wonder what it felt like to create this particular vista, the softness of the water and the hardness of the tree trunks. It is a careful observation of the natural world that celebrates the beauty and intricacy of the Dutch landscape. Dool’s close attention to detail reminds me of other landscape artists like Mondrian, exploring form and structure in nature. There is a real patience in the graphite marks here that invite us to slow down and look closer too. Artists are always in conversation with each other, echoing the past, while making something entirely new.