Vogn på skovvej 1901

Here's Vogn på skovvej, or "Cart on Forest Road," made by Niels Skovgaard sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Look at the density of the marks here, and imagine the artist, bent over the plate, making all those tiny, precise lines. I wonder if Skovgaard felt a bit like he was lost in the woods while making this? There's so much detail, so much texture, that it almost feels overwhelming. Those trees leaning into one another, creating a kind of gothic cathedral effect, their branches like reaching fingers. And that path, winding its way into the unknown. It makes me think of other artists, like the German Expressionists, who were also trying to capture the feeling of being lost in the world. It's like Skovgaard is saying, "Here's what I see, but here's also how it makes me feel." And that's what art is all about, isn't it?