Boomgaard 1893

Hermannus Adrianus van Oosterzee made this sketch of an orchard using graphite on paper. The soft, grainy texture of the graphite allows for subtle variations in tone, creating a hazy atmosphere. Consider the artist's hand moving across the page, building up the image with layers of delicate lines. The sketch has a provisional quality, somewhere between a finished work of art and a preparatory study. We can see this in the artist’s lines as he captured the bare branches and the trunks of the trees. Although these are traditional art materials, the scene suggests the intersection of labor and nature. Orchards require intensive cultivation, a blend of human effort and natural processes to yield fruit. In considering the drawing, we can appreciate the way the artist has captured the essence of the orchard, as well as the social context of labor, and the beauty that can be found in the everyday.