Buchenstamm am Waldrand, davor ein abgefallener Ast 

Gerard van Nijmegen made this drawing of a beech tree at the edge of a forest with pen and brush, using brown and gray ink. The choice of such simple materials is telling. There is no colorful oil paint, no laborious etching technique, just pen, brush, ink, and paper. This suggests that the artist was interested in a direct, unadorned approach to art making. The brown and gray inks allow for subtle tonal variations, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. The drawing possesses a quiet intimacy, focusing on the natural world and the textures of the forest floor. This contrasts with the more idealized landscapes often seen in fine art. There is an immediacy here, as if the artist sketched the scene on the spot. This connects it to the tradition of craft, where functionality and directness are valued. The drawing's power lies in its simple elegance, in the way Nijmegen found beauty in everyday materials and the natural world around him.