Boom bij twee huizen aan een bosrand 1897

Jan Toorop made this understated graphite drawing of houses near a forest, with a looming tree in the foreground. The medium of graphite – essentially just a type of carbon, like coal or diamonds – lends itself to very subtle gradations of tone. Toorop has exploited this quality to the fullest, creating a hushed, almost ghostly impression. The drawing has a hazy quality with a muted palette, and soft, blended strokes and shadows that evoke a certain stillness of time and place. The artist must have worked patiently, building up the image with countless tiny marks. In a way, this is a humble kind of mark-making, quite unlike the bravura brushwork that was prized in other contexts. This work really invites us to reconsider what we value in art, and recognize that quiet, careful labor can be just as powerful as more flamboyant gestures.