Træer i et landskab. Cassis. 1909

Othon Friesz made this drawing of trees in Cassis, France with ink on paper. I really get a sense of Friesz trying to capture a moment, a quick impression. It's almost like he’s thinking aloud with his pen. The lines are so alive, they feel like they're still moving. You can almost feel the breeze rustling the leaves! What was he thinking about when he made this? Did he want to leave it as a sketch, or was it meant for something else? Friesz was part of that generation who knew Matisse and the Fauves. He was really interested in the act of seeing, how we translate the world into marks and shapes. These marks aren't trying to mimic nature, it is more like nature as a springboard for the artist's feelings and ideas. There’s a dialogue happening here, between Friesz, the landscape, and art history itself! It’s not about perfection, it's about the energy and curiosity that drives us to create.