Tuin met pergola 1925

Simon Moulijn made this garden scene, Tuin met pergola, with what looks like ink on paper. The composition is constructed from a series of hatched marks, layered to build up tone and shadow. Look at the way the dark marks on the left contrast with the lighter shaded walkway, the drawing is full of this type of contrast. The physical presence of the ink is ever present, the eye is always drawn back to the material of the piece. The columns of the pergola are constructed from thousands of tiny vertical marks which create a feeling of solidity and depth, the artist uses the physicality of the medium to create a convincing illusion of reality. It reminds me of some drawings by Van Gogh, where mark making becomes a language in itself, and the work embraces the many possible interpretations and ambiguities of art.