Landschap met bomen, vermoedelijk in of rond landgoed Ewijckshoeve 1885 - 1931

Willem Bastiaan Tholen made this landscape with trees, probably in or around the Ewijckshoeve estate, with a stick of charcoal on paper. It’s all about the charcoal rubbing up against the grain of the page, that immediate, physical drag and resistance. Look at how Tholen captures the essence of a tree not through detail, but through layers of scribbled, energetic lines. It's like he’s feeling his way through the image, building it up from a collection of marks. The charcoal is dense in some areas, creating depth and shadow, and almost disappears in others to suggest light and air. There’s a real sense of movement here, of the breeze rustling through the leaves. It reminds me a little of Van Gogh’s drawings – that same urgency, that feeling that the artist is trying to capture something fleeting and alive. But where Van Gogh goes wild, Tholen keeps things a little more restrained, a little more grounded. Like a conversation between friends with different personalities, you know?