De Hooiweg bij Eelde Possibly 1903 - 1923

Dirk Arnoldus Tavenraat’s De Hooiweg bij Eelde, at the Rijksmuseum, is a work on paper where a limited palette feels liberating. It's all about greens and browns, subtly hatching and cross-hatching to build form. Look closely, and you'll notice the paper's texture showing through, giving it a raw, almost unfinished feel. It's like the artist is saying, "Here's the landscape, but it's more about the process of seeing than the thing itself". I love the way the marks are so visible; it reveals a kind of working through, a journey of the hand. The lines create a pattern like weaving, and you get a sense of light filtering through leaves, the breeze through the trees. Tavenraat reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin, in the way he reduces the scene to its essence. It's like they're both asking: how little can we do and still make something that speaks? It's not about perfection; it's about a conversation, an exploration.