Boom c. 1840 - 1860

Editor: This is "Boom," a pencil drawing from around the mid-19th century, created by Charles Rochussen, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. I find the sketch rather stark, almost skeletal in its simplicity. What compositional elements stand out to you? Curator: The formal construction of this piece lies primarily in the tension between line and implied volume. Note the stark horizontality countered by the more organic, almost frantic, verticals. Rochussen here is clearly experimenting with how little is needed to evoke the "idea" of a tree. Editor: Idea is a good word. The sketchy lines suggest that this was more of an exercise than a finished work. Was this typical for Romantic artists, to focus on fragments like this? Curator: The Romantics, and others before them, certainly utilized sketches in their art. Consider the very premise of this art: an illusion created out of mere marks upon a surface. Rochussen seems deeply involved in the materiality of this: how can a light pencil conjure up mass? Look how the differing line weights attempt to convey depth and substance. It's all very calculated. Editor: So it's not just a quick doodle. Is he successful, in your opinion, in creating that sense of mass? Curator: Successful to a point. The skeletal quality you observed perhaps derives from this very tension. The sparseness borders on abstraction, yet the recognisable form prevents total departure. He offers us a structural analysis of a tree, rather than a pictorial representation, and the success of that rests with the individual viewer. Editor: I see. It is definitely more about the framework than the foliage. I've never thought about Romanticism in such an analytic way. Thank you! Curator: A fresh perspective is always welcome. Art perpetually unfolds; this type of deconstruction will provide additional interpretations for you moving forward.