Drie bomen 1927

Editor: This is “Drie bomen” – Three Trees – by Jo Bezaan, from 1927. It’s an etching on paper, currently at the Rijksmuseum. It feels stark and a little lonely to me. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a dialogue between resilience and fragility. Look at how Bezaan renders those trees: stark, almost skeletal against the open landscape. Trees, historically, have represented longevity, wisdom, a connection to the earth… yet here, they’re rendered with such delicate lines. Editor: That contrast you mentioned is so interesting. The etching itself has a delicate quality. Curator: Precisely. And the landscape behind them isn’t idyllic, is it? It's rather barren. Almost as if the landscape is echoing a sense of internal sparseness. Does the composition lead your eye to any specific part? Editor: My eye is drawn to the little building in the distance, behind the trees, nestled between two. It offers a flicker of hope perhaps? A home. Curator: A safe space of civilization amid stark nature, a reminder of humanity. This is characteristic of 1920s art: searching for solace and meaning in the face of tremendous change. Perhaps Bezaan used these simple images as an echo of how the viewer themselves were coping and adapting. Editor: So, these images of three trees have a connection to a deep sense of self, not only nature? It brings the work into new perspective. Curator: Exactly! Art often functions as a mirror, reflecting back the anxieties, hopes, and dreams of the society that created it. Editor: I hadn't considered that. Now, it is not just three trees but rather a story waiting to be explored. Thanks!