The Peace Palace – Graphite Landscape Elegance

I wanted to share my latest graphite pencil piece: 'The Peace Palace – 2026-06-10'.

As a former law student from Leiden, you can never fully take the lawyer out of the artist. The legal mind remains an integral part of my worldview ('Weltanschauung'). This drawing explores where the heart of international law lies, symbolically surrounded by trees and flowers.

While international law is under immense pressure today, I firmly believe it behaves like an 'elementary particle'—it is an undeniable part of our being. Ignoring it won't make it go away, and just like 'The Golden Rule', it will eventually rule nonetheless. This perspective also directly drives my interest in the Russo-Ukrainian war and my ongoing 'Slava Ukraini' series.

The Story Behind the Sketch:
The direct trigger for this drawing was a visit to the Mesdag Collectie on March 21st, during an exhibition focusing on Isaac Israëls’ love for Van Gogh’s paintings. Two of my students were attending a life-model sketching workshop in Mesdag’s former studio on the first floor. The studio features a beautiful oval shape with a grand view of the budding garden and the Peace Palace. Spring had arrived... and it made me wonder if a similar renewal could count for international law as well. “You may say I’m a dreamer…”

Materials & Specifications:

Medium: Graphite pencil (Tombow Zoom 707, 0.5 mm, Pentel 4B)

Surface: Daler Rowney Smooth Heavyweight paper

Size: A5 format (21 x 14.8 x 0.1 cm)

Artist: Corné Akkers

Links & Availability:
The original artwork, physical prints, and digital printables are all available on my website:

Original Artwork (€ 950.00): https://corneakkers.com/the-peace-palace-2026-06-10/

Physical Print: https://corneakkers.com/product/print-the-peace-palace-2026-06-10/

Digital Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-the-peace-palace-2026-06-10/

Inquiries: info@corneakkers.com

I would love to hear your thoughts on the composition!

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