Landschap met bomen 1891 - 1892

Willem Cornelis Rip sketched "Landschap met bomen" using graphite to capture a fleeting moment in nature. The immediate impression is one of atmospheric haziness, a landscape rendered through delicate, almost ephemeral marks. Rip's composition emphasizes the tonal range achievable with graphite. Notice how he uses varying pressure to suggest depth and volume, creating a textural contrast between the solid forms of the trees and the diffuse background. The lines are not definitive but rather suggestive, playing with the idea of representation itself. Rip employs a semiotic system of signs, where the trees, sky, and ground are not merely depicted but hinted at through a network of lines and shading. This approach moves away from traditional landscape art. Rip offers a study in perception, questioning how much visual information is needed to evoke the essence of a scene. This sketch becomes a meditation on the act of seeing itself.