Ster schijnt op een winterlandschap before 1893

This is Willem Wenckebach’s ‘Star Shining on a Winter Landscape,’ an ink drawing whose date is unknown. The drawing is divided into three distinct panels. The stark contrast between the black ink and the unadorned paper gives the work a graphic quality. The composition is arranged to lead the viewer’s eye from left to right, beginning with the holly and snow, across the snowy winter landscape, and ending with a child and toy looking up into the starlit sky. The perspective seems compressed, flattening the space and emphasizing the surface. The three panels create a sense of narrative sequence, a progression from nature to the realm of human experience and wonder. The star, rendered with radiating lines, becomes a focal point. A semiotic element, it not only illuminates the scene but also signifies hope and guidance. Wenckebach invites us to contemplate the intersections of nature, symbol, and human imagination.