Tropisch bos met baadsters 1905 - 1930

This graphite drawing of a tropical forest scene with bathers was made by Wijnand Otto Jan Nieuwenkamp sometime around 1937. Look at the roots of that tree! Aren’t they incredible? They seem to have a life of their own, reaching down like tangled fingers towards the earth. I imagine Nieuwenkamp sitting in front of the subject, his eyes darting back and forth, trying to capture the intricacies of the scene before him. What was it like to sit there and try to put it all on paper? I imagine the artist carefully building up the image, layer by layer, capturing the light filtering through the leaves and the reflections shimmering on the surface of the water. The gentle gradations of tone create a sense of depth and atmosphere, drawing us into the heart of the jungle. I think of other artists like Henri Rousseau and the way they would approach the jungle as a space of imagination and dreams. Artists are always looking at each other, borrowing and riffing, aren’t they?