Groep bomen bij Sassenheim 1876 - 1910

Alphonse Stengelin's "Groep bomen bij Sassenheim" presents a copse of trees rendered with delicate graphic strokes on paper. The composition invites us into a serene space defined by the verticality of the trees and the subtle recession into the distance. Notice how Stengelin orchestrates a semiotic dialogue between form and space. The density of the marks creates texture, suggesting the roughness of bark and the softness of foliage. Lines define the trees, their starkness hinting at the bareness of winter while also creating depth. The calculated placement of trees frames a vanishing point, invoking a sense of endless continuity. The formal tension between precision and spontaneity suggests an environment which is at once defined and boundless. Through Stengelin's marks, the trees invite us to contemplate our relationship with the natural world. This is a world rendered not as a mirror of reality but as a constructed field of artistic interpretation.