Bomenpartij aan de overzijde van het water 1872 - 1939

Egbert Rubertus Derk Schaap made this drawing, with what looks like graphite on paper. It’s a dreamy scene, right? It looks like it was made on site, quickly. The artist is feeling their way, like they are trying to capture the light on the water and the softness of the trees. The marks are tentative, with lots of rubbing and smudging, and the trees are built up with lots of small marks, creating a sense of texture. There's a real sense of atmosphere. I keep coming back to the reflections in the water. The artist uses vertical strokes to capture the way the light shimmers and dances on the surface. I like the way the reflections mirror the forms above, but in a broken, distorted way, and the way they dissolve into nothingness. It feels melancholic. This work reminds me of Corot. Both artists share a similar interest in capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere and a similar commitment to working directly from nature. Like Corot, Schaap embraces ambiguity, inviting us to linger in the space between seeing and feeling.