Kerktoren 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this sketch of a church tower sometime in his life, probably with a graphite pencil on paper. It’s a quick study, all about the immediacy of seeing. There’s something so satisfying about the starkness of a simple pencil line. It’s like the artist is thinking out loud. The tower itself is built up with diagonal strokes, a shorthand for volume and light. I love how the artist captures the essence of the tower with just a few lines, leaving plenty of space for our imaginations to fill in the gaps. It’s kind of like improvisational jazz. This sketch reminds me of Agnes Martin's pared-down drawings. Both artists share a commitment to reducing form to its bare essentials, inviting us to contemplate the subtle nuances of line, tone, and space. Art is really an ongoing conversation across time. We can all join in.