Fantasiefiguur met één oog 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this drawing of a ‘Fantasiefiguur met één oog’—that’s ‘Fantasy figure with one eye’ in Dutch—on paper, and it looks like he used some kind of dry medium, maybe charcoal or graphite. You can see the process right there on the page. The lines are tentative, like the artist is feeling around for the form. What I love is that these simple lines create such a strange, compelling presence. I’m drawn to the way the single, bold stroke defines the figure's profile, contrasting with the gentler curves that suggest the folds of flesh. I like how the surface of the paper is left bare, and the feeling this gives of a figure emerging from nothingness. This reminds me of some of Philip Guston’s later drawings, these simple forms that seem to carry a heavy emotional weight. Vreedenburgh shows us that you don’t need a lot of detail to create something that really sticks with you, something ambiguous, open to interpretation.