Studie van vier boomstammen 1872 - 1939

Egbert Rubertus Derk Schaap made this study of tree trunks with graphite on paper. I wonder if he made it in the woods? There’s a quiet intimacy in the way he’s captured these tree trunks, like a secret encounter. I can imagine him sitting on the forest floor with his sketchbook, squinting. Did he complete it in one sitting, I wonder, or did he return to the same spot day after day? The marks are so straightforward –almost clumsy – yet they give a strong sense of the dense verticality of the trees and the strange light in the forest. It reminds me of some drawings by Van Gogh. The pressure of the graphite varies, creating depth with shadow. The paper has a lovely rough texture. The overall effect is less about precise botanical detail and more about mood, capturing the feeling of being among the trees, in nature. Schaap’s directness is a good reminder for me that the simplest marks can sometimes say the most.