Boerderij met boomgaard 1918

William Degouve de Nuncques made this landscape, a pastel drawing, on paper. The colour palette is pretty muted. Looking at this scene makes me want to just pull up a chair and sit in the yard of this farmhouse. I bet the artist just set up his easel right there. It’s really all about feeling the place. I can see the marks being made with the side of the pastel stick. It gives a soft, hazy, very dreamy feel. Artists are constantly in conversation with one another, even across time. I wonder if, like me, Degouve de Nuncques was also inspired by the work of the French artist, Odilon Redon. I see a similar sensitivity to colour. I think there is a whole world of inquiry in this simple drawing. There's a real beauty in not trying too hard; it’s an invitation to let go and just be.