The Old Willow at a Brook

After an initial phase of classically influenced landscape painting, Dillis’s work achieved a newfound naturalism and freedom. He based this close-up view of a thicket on direct observation of nature. Dillis’s dense network of lines form a filigree-like pattern of trees and foliage. One of only two etchings that Dillis published during his lifetime, this informal composition and its loose style reveal the influence of Jacob van Ruisdael, a Dutch landscapist of the 17th century. In addition to being an artist, Dillis was an outstanding connoisseur and assembled a large print collection of his own. He became one of the first great German museum directors whose impact on the history of art was enormous.