The marks employed here (and in others in the series) appear to be a reflection of the artist’s agitated and tormented state of mind at the time - as though searching for some form of release.
Using short straight and curving multidirectional pen strokes throughout, I think he has created a drawing full of rhythm. Upward twisting swirling spirals in the cypress trees are countered by the reverse spirals of the clouds, bushes and hills, even many of the buildings, creating a feeling of turbulence.
In a slightly earlier series of mostly pen and ink landscape drawings, completed around the area of Arles, stippling is used extensively in a very expressive way to depict mostly the texture of crops or earth. Dots very effectively describe undulations or a look of recession by a change or reduction in the size and density as they move further away into the distance. As well as stippling, there is also a great variety of lines and dashes, including crosshatching. All the marks are played off one against the other, creating a feeling of energy even without a curved line in sight.
Arums
Drawing, pen, reed pen, brown ink
Saint-Rémy: May - second part of month, 1889
Van Gogh Museum
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Europe
F: 1613, JH: 1703
