Creating Berg en Dal - 21-04-25

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/berg-en-dal-21-04-25/
Print: https://corneakkers.com/print-berg-en-dal-21-04-25/
Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-berg-en-dal-21-04-25/

My Favorite Spot

This graphite pencil drawing ‘Berg en Dal – 21-04-25’ is my next landscape endeavour after the previous one, called ‘Beek – 14-04-25’. Cubism meets impressionism once more. The title is a bit arbitrary because I think it might also be part of Beek. Ubbergen, Berg en Dal, Groesbeek, Beek and even Ooij are all part now of the bigger municipality Berg en Dal. Therefor it doesn’t matter really. Since I gave a couple of drawings and pastels the same title I think it’s fair enough. They are made in the same area as this one, which offers a view on the Boterberg positioned to the left. In fact ‘Berg en Dal – 25-10-23’ is a vista on hill in the center to the right. This must be my favorite spot. Probably since 1980 when I visited it for the first time with my parents.

Not Fully in Leaf Yet

The reference photo I took some weeks ago when the trees were not in leaf yet. Only some pines on the Boterberg show some darker leafy planes. Even though there weren’t many leaves yet, tree branches show subtle bifuractions. Especially when the outer ends already show buds their outlines tend to appear as beautiful bulged structures. Certainly, similar to abstract geometric shapes and I simply love those. When trees are fully in leaf often they block the view too much. You simply can’t suggest depth between trees too much anymore. My aim though was to depict the structures of the hilly slopes and treescapes altogether. So was right on time.

Sketchy Feel

This having said, the lighting of course is the key factor but it needed more. The previous one was made both cubist and impressionist. However, my roundism adventures are still in my fingers but I kept an early drawing ‘Valley of the Philosophers - 20-10-15’ in mind. Quite abstracted that one was. So executed this one in geometric shapes but also took care of maintaining a sketchy feel. Surely I was avoiding overproducing it, keeping the essential message of impressionism in mind. That is the transcience of the moment. Hence, the two walkers I decided to capture as well. They passed by like that man on horseback etched on location by Rembrandt. No one will ever know his name but eternalized neverteless, like these two.

Pitt Graphite Matt pencil (Faber-Castell, 14B) drawing on Talens Bristol paper (21 x 29,7 x 0.1 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers