Trees at Evian 1997

Avigdor Arikha made "Trees at Evian" using expressive mark making that gives the impression of movement and growth, as if the forest is alive right there on the page. Looking closely, you can see how the texture is built from short, urgent strokes. The pressure and speed create different densities of black, giving the trees volume and a sense of depth. It's all done with such a light touch, so economical with the ink, but capturing the essence of the scene. The marks are almost like musical notes, and the whole piece reads like a visual poem, or a kind of shorthand for something felt. There's a bit in the foreground with thin dashes that makes me think of Twombly, capturing something fleeting and essential, more about feeling than description.