View of Huis te Vliet, Seen from the South-west c. 1646 - 1647

Roelant Roghman made this drawing of Huis te Vliet with pen and brown ink, and brush in gray ink. The artist’s hand is very present in the application of the ink, from the thinnest lines to broad strokes. The way the ink is manipulated across the paper creates a sense of depth, and a soft atmospheric perspective. Roghman uses the gray ink to build shadows and volume, defining the ruined structure and surrounding landscape. This technique of layering diluted washes was common among Dutch Golden Age landscape artists. There's a directness to Roghman's technique, a concern with accurately recording what he saw, a feature that could be associated with craft traditions, as well as fine art. As with any drawing, there's an intimacy to this image; we can feel the artist considering the scene, in real time. Considering the image, the artist's materials, and their techniques allows us to understand the context of the drawing, blurring the lines between art, craft, labor, and the economics of artistic production in 17th century Holland.