Landschap met planten en kale bomen 1848 - 1888

Anton Mauve made this drawing of a landscape with plants and bare trees using a graphite pencil. The composition is dominated by a mass of tangled lines, which give the impression of dense vegetation. Mauve uses the stark contrast between the dark lines and the blank paper to create a sense of depth, even though there are not any defined layers. The lines vary in thickness and direction, which adds visual interest. The sketch emphasizes the materiality of the medium. You get a strong feeling of the artist’s hand and the way it moved across the paper. Mauve’s drawing exemplifies a shift towards abstraction. He reduced natural forms to their most basic components, emphasizing line and form over detail. This reflects a growing interest in the underlying structures of the natural world and a move away from strict representational accuracy. Mauve invites us to consider how simple lines can evoke complex emotions.