Duinlandschap met gezicht op zee 1906

Jan Toorop made this landscape with colored chalk on paper, and it feels like such a fleeting, delicate impression. I can almost feel the breeze coming off the sea. Toorop’s lines build up a sandy dune that rises and falls, catching the light in such a way that it nearly vibrates. I bet he worked quickly, trying to catch the exact shade of yellow in the grass before the sun shifted, or a cloud passed by. You know, capturing a feeling, not just a view. I imagine Toorop really wrestling with the essence of the landscape, not trying to copy it exactly, but really trying to convey a sense of place. It's not about perfect representation; it's about feeling the landscape in your bones and translating that onto paper. I look at this and think about how all artists, past and present, are trying to pin down something real, something felt, in their own way.