Bosgezicht met rotsblokken 1872

Armand Théophile Cassagne created this drawing called 'Bosgezicht met rotsblokken' using graphite. Cassagne lived through a period of significant social upheaval in France, witnessing the rise of industrialization and urbanization. In his landscape drawing we see nature as a retreat, a space untouched by modernity's rapid changes. Here, Cassagne guides us through an almost theatrical display of nature. Light and shadow dance across rocks and slender trees. The scene encourages reflection on nature's indifference to human concerns. The forest, with its dense, almost impenetrable thicket, can be viewed as an escape from the societal pressures. The meticulous detail and realism of the scene evokes a longing for a simpler existence.