Gezicht op een dorp door de bomen 1872 - 1939

Egbert Rubertus Derk Schaap made this drawing of a village through trees, and it feels like he was really working something out. It’s all in charcoal, so already you know it's about the push and pull of dark and light, a real emphasis on process. The material itself is so present. Look at the way he uses the charcoal not just to describe the scene, but to build it, layer upon layer. See how the strokes are so visible, like he's letting us in on the secret? There's a spot on the lower right, a thick dark mark that anchors the whole picture, it's almost like a signature in the landscape. It reminds me a bit of some drawings by Van Gogh, that same urgency and rawness, like the artist is wrestling with the world right there on the page. Art’s always a conversation, right? Definitely not a monologue!