Dorpsgezicht met een kerktoren 1890 - 1946

This pencil drawing of a village scene with a church tower, Dorpsgezicht met een kerktoren, was made by Cornelis Vreedenburgh sometime between the late 19th and mid 20th century. Look closely. Can you see the hand of the artist moving back and forth, trying to capture the scene? I can see Vreedenburgh outside, squinting, trying to capture the light on the buildings. See how the pencil lines are tentative and searching, trying to find the right angles and shapes? I love the way the artist used simple marks to suggest the texture of the buildings and foliage; it reminds me of other landscape painters such as Van Gogh. I bet Vreedenburgh was constantly looking at other painters to see how they approached their work. All artists do. It’s one big ongoing conversation! Each mark is like a little note in a visual symphony. The painting is not about any one thing, but instead about the relationships between things. And about the act of seeing itself!