Ossen in de wei before 1902

'Ossen in de wei', or 'Oxen in the Meadow', is a monochromatic work by G. Roy, the medium of which isn’t clear, but it is about the size of a postcard. I'm drawn to the way the artist uses tonal variation to create depth. It's like watching an image slowly develop in a darkroom. There's a real sense of atmosphere conjured through the layering of tones, from the hazy sky to the darker, more defined ground. The oxen themselves are rendered with soft edges, almost dissolving into the landscape. This kind of painting is all about the materiality of the medium; the texture, the way light bounces off the surface. It’s not just about representation, but about the physical act of applying pigment to a surface. Looking at the darker areas, you can almost feel the weight of the medium, while the lighter areas seem to float. It reminds me a little of Corot, who also explored the subtleties of light and atmosphere, and the way that nature is always changing. Art isn't about answers but it is about a question for us to sit with.