Landscape with Path and Pollard Trees 1888

This landscape was drawn by Vincent van Gogh using pen and ink on paper. The network of lines created by the pen is crucial to understanding the artwork's significance, it allowed the artist to describe textures, volumes and shadows. Van Gogh used hatching and cross-hatching techniques in order to create an illusion of depth and three-dimensionality, which are common drawing practices dating back to the Renaissance. The parallel lines form dense patterns, especially in the foreground, to create a sense of perspective and tactile experience. The rapid execution and expressive quality of the lines suggests van Gogh's intent was to capture the immediacy of the scene, rather than a meticulous rendering. The landscape, therefore, becomes less about the scene itself, and more about van Gogh's engagement with the process of drawing, transforming mundane materials into a compelling visual experience. Through the emphasis on line, texture and form, the artist elevates a simple landscape into a work of art.