Trees That Tell
Nature, painting and poetry come together in the spring exhibition Trees That Tell. An ode to our endangered nature in The Mesdag Collection in The Hague with works by the Dutch painter Christiaan Kuitwaard (1965) and poet Jan Kleefstra (1964). Trees That Tell
In 2023, Kuitwaard and Kleefstra, together with writer Annelies Henstra, published the book Boswerk about the loss of trees and forests in the Netherlands. For this project, Kuitwaard painted 56 oil paintings en plein air, with atmospheric colors in a range of styles from different perspectives. At the same time, Kleefstra wrote poetic texts about disappearing biodiversity and our connection with nature.
The artist and the poet traveled together every week for a year. Together they visited dozens of areas and recorded trees in various, precisely described locations. The result is both a warning against disappearing forests and an ode to the beauty and 'wisdom' of our trees.
The works of Kuitwaard and Kleefstra are presented in the context of works of art from The Mesdag Collection, which have been chosen by the artists themselves. Kuitwaard's working method fits in well with that of painters of the Hague School. Just like him, they liked to work outside and had an eye for nature.