Boom c. 1765 - 1775

Curator: Well, look at this! Jean-Honoré Fragonard's landscape drawing, likely from between 1765 and 1775. It’s held here at the Rijksmuseum and is rendered in pencil and colored pencil on paper. He’s even used frottage! Editor: Wow, it's... wispy. Like a dream you can almost remember. A feeling more than a place. You know, those drawings you do in the margins during long, boring meetings when the branches morph into fantastical creatures? Curator: Fantastical is an interesting choice. Rococo often embraced lightness and playful ornamentation. Trees weren't just trees; they were elements in a grand, theatrical landscape, even in drawing. But the symbolism runs deeper, doesn't it? Trees as life, as family trees, as ancient witnesses. Editor: Definitely witnesses! It feels ancient and immediate at once, like capturing the breath of a long-forgotten god or dryad hiding behind it. All those nervous, delicate pencil strokes, layering up the mood, the mystery... Did Fragonard capture them or did they capture him, sketching as he traveled? Curator: Well, travel played a major role in artistic inspiration then. This drawing shows Fragonard’s mastery of line to evoke volume, despite the light application of the pencils. Consider, also, the cultural shift occurring then. An embrace of nature began, moving away from the formal gardens to... Editor: …the untamed woods! Yes! Where your imagination runs wild and your inhibitions dissolve like sugar in rainwater. It’s not about manicured beauty here. More about surrendering to something bigger, scarier and beautiful. This Boom feels vulnerable too, though, with age and grace meeting in the middle of this old drawing. Curator: True, its very ephemerality speaks volumes. It's a preserved moment. Look, these weren’t always intended as works of art. They capture ideas or serve as notes on travels to prepare for paintings. I find such preparatory drawings to be as deeply captivating as the "finished" piece. Editor: Absolutely. It is rough. Fragile. Honest in ways a grand painting simply cannot be. Well, that gives me shivers thinking about sketching my own "Boom", here and now. It’s a bit rough and maybe I’d get colored pencils to help with the vibe. Curator: See, that's it exactly! He ignites an appreciation. For nature, for art, for the quick sketch! Let’s go sketch our own “Boom”, then.