Bomen c. 1881 - 1888

Editor: So, here we have "Bomen," or "Trees," by Anton Mauve, pencilled sometime between 1881 and 1888. It’s currently at the Rijksmuseum. It looks so simple, almost like a doodle, but there’s a definite moodiness to it. What's your read on this piece? Curator: A doodle with a soul, perhaps! For me, it whispers of a Dutch melancholy. Mauve captures the essence of trees not in their rigid form, but in the breezy way they surrender to the elements. Don't you feel it? Editor: I get the breezy, almost chaotic feeling, definitely. How does that relate to, you know, the broader art scene at the time? Curator: The Impressionists were embracing spontaneity, capturing fleeting moments. This sketch echoes that, doesn't it? A private meditation on nature’s breath…Mauve was after something less concrete, more…felt. Does that resonate? Editor: It does, like he's getting at something beyond just the literal trees. It's funny, it reminds me of those little studies artists do before they paint the "real thing". But this feels complete, somehow? Curator: Exactly! A painter thinking on paper. He’s pulling back the curtain on his process. The rough strokes…it’s almost intimate, wouldn’t you agree? You’re getting a glimpse of an artist working through an idea. A moment of quiet observation. It also reflects his later, looser brushstrokes in paintings – which is maybe what Mauve wanted to communicate, or maybe even find out? Editor: That's a nice image: a painter thinking. I'll look at pencil sketches differently now. Thanks for that! Curator: My pleasure! Perhaps we should all take time to think in pencil. It clears the head and might reveal secrets hidden within our own private landscape.