Landschap 1847 - 1899

Jacob Maris rendered this drawing, ‘Landschap’ with graphite. Two almost nude figures are placed closely together, partially obscured by shadow. These forms echo the classical motif of the Three Graces, goddesses of charm, beauty, and creativity, often depicted nude, in flowing movement and close proximity. We find this motif in antiquity and reborn in the Renaissance, and it is here again, but disrupted. These figures are not idealized; their forms are rough and their faces turned away. The artist uses light and shadow to hint at sensuality, but it is a subdued interpretation of the Three Graces, as if seen through a veil. Consider how these depictions tap into our subconscious; desires and fears passed down through generations, always reforming into something new. The image, stripped bare, engages our innermost selves on a deep, emotional level.