Boslandschap met figuren 1645 - 1646

Curator: Pieter Moninckx rendered this forest scene around 1645-1646. We know it as "Boslandschap met figuren" done with graphite, pencil and lead on paper. Editor: It’s quite delicate. My first thought is of the sheer volume of wood required to make the pencils that would have been used. A rather material perspective, perhaps. Curator: A materialist’s gaze makes perfect sense with this one. It’s the subtle modulation of greys that’s arresting for me. Notice how he uses hatching to give weight and depth to the leaves. This really echoes artistic themes of the Northern Renaissance and their complex symbology of nature. Editor: Hatching like this can appear deceptively simple, yet speaks volumes about labor, skill and technique. It makes you wonder how apprentices at the time engaged with their craft through the use of materials. I mean, pencil on paper; these humble components belie a system of artistic production. Curator: Absolutely. Think about the forest itself. It wasn’t just a place of timber. For those of the Northern Renaissance it teemed with spiritual resonance and danger. A dark unknowable space—a place of refuge. This landscape may very well mirror internal states. Editor: A refuge built and depicted with raw materials extracted directly from such environments; a poetic loop, isn’t it? Considering the forest as both artistic subject and supplier of the literal means to represent it opens an intriguing portal into a material-based understanding of Moninckx’s intention. Curator: Intentional or otherwise, the drawing does bring us face to face with how people of that era grappled with wilderness—internal and external. Editor: And prompts us to consider the value that we assign to raw resources and their contribution to our understanding of the artwork, the process and even ourselves. A delicate and powerful interplay to unpack in “Boslandschap met figuren.”