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

Willem Bastiaan Tholen made this landscape with charcoal, probably en plein air, catching the feel of the wind in the leaves. I wonder if Tholen felt like he was wrestling with nature, trying to pin down the way the branches twisted and turned. Look at the dark, scribbled marks that build up the foliage – you can almost feel the pressure of his hand as he tried to capture the essence of these trees. It reminds me of some of Constable's sketches, that same urgency to record a fleeting moment. But Tholen’s touch is lighter, more impressionistic. You can imagine him squinting, trying to see past the details to the bigger picture. The blank paper peeks through, giving the drawing an airy, unfinished quality. It’s like he’s saying, "Here’s what I saw, but there’s so much more I couldn’t capture." And maybe that’s the point, isn’t it? We painters are always chasing something just beyond our grasp.