Gezicht op een dorp met links een waterput 1767 - 1780

Bernhard Schreuder made this drawing of a village scene with pen and brush in the 18th century. The ink lines build a picture from very simple means. Look closely and you’ll see he has achieved tonal variation through the hatching of the lines and the varying pressure he applied to the brush. It's a quick, economical method, ideally suited to capturing a fleeting impression of the scene. Consider the social context. This is a vision of rural life. The thatched-roofed buildings, the well on the left – presumably the source of drinking water – all speak to an existence closely tied to the land. In those days, life was all about physical labor, about sustenance. The relative simplicity of the drawing materials—pen, brush and ink—mirrors this. So, next time you encounter a humble drawing like this one, remember the values of the people whose lives it depicts and the hand skills of the artist who made it. The drawing may look easy, but it speaks volumes.