Bospad bij Groesbeek 1901 - 1907

Anna Catharina Maria van Eeghen made this drawing of a forest path near Groesbeek with graphite. I can imagine her walking to this place and deciding, okay, this is the spot! Look at the soft hatching that defines the ground, the trees and the sky! There’s a beautiful contrast between the open area on the left, and the thicket of tree trunks in the center and right of the drawing. Did she feel like she was able to capture the essence of the place, or was it constantly shifting in front of her eyes? As a fellow artist, I can imagine van Eeghen grappling with the overwhelming sensory experience of being in the woods, and trying to distill that into a coherent image. I love the way that a drawing like this holds space for ambiguity and open-endedness, inviting us to bring our own experiences and interpretations to the work.