Loosdrechtse plassen 1870 - 1937

Willem Wenckebach made this drawing of Loosdrechtse plassen with colored chalk on paper. Look at those gestural marks! They really evoke the landscape, the tall grasses, the stillness of the water. Imagine Wenckebach standing there, squinting, feeling the breeze, maybe a bit chilly? He’s making marks, testing, revising, trying to capture that light, that particular mood of the place. He's not trying to copy nature, but to suggest something about his experience. The marks feel immediate, intuitive. See how the colors mix right on the page? It makes me think about the physicality of drawing, the way the chalk crumbles and smudges. It’s not about perfection, but about feeling and gesture. The three birds flying above the scene add a touch of hope. For me, this drawing speaks to the ongoing conversation artists have across time. Wenckebach's work reminds me a bit of Corot and the Barbizon school, those guys who were all about painting directly from nature. It’s all connected, you know? They are all inspiring each other, across time, pushing the boundaries of how we see and experience the world through art.