Boomstam met laaghangend bladerdek c. 1863 - 1864

Maria Vos created "Boomstam met laaghangend bladerdek" or "Tree trunk with low-hanging foliage" at an unknown date, a work rendered in graphite on paper. The sketchbook format immediately draws us into its intrinsic form. The composition is stark; a single tree dominates the right panel, while the left remains conspicuously blank. This division prompts us to consider the work's structure and how it guides our perception. Vos's use of line and shading invites us to view the tree not merely as a botanical subject but as a study in form. The intricate network of lines that constitute the foliage, contrasted with the smoother trunk, highlights the tree's texture and volume. What is the empty space trying to express, in relationship to the tree? Perhaps it’s about absence and presence, emptiness and form. Vos is subtly destabilizing our understanding of the relationship between figure and ground, challenging the fixed meanings we might ascribe to such a traditional subject. Through this interplay, Vos urges us to reconsider what we see, not just aesthetically but conceptually.