Deutz aan de Rijn c. 1860 - 1865

Maria Vos made this pencil drawing, Deutz aan de Rijn, sometime in the 19th century. Its monochrome palette and linear emphasis are the result of the graphite material, which she used to render a distant cityscape. The effect is not unlike a quick study, the kind often produced en plein air, where artists try to capture the effects of light and weather. Here, Vos has taken a more documentary approach. The emphasis is on the built environment. We see the outlines of buildings, a bridge across the water, and faint suggestions of human activity. Yet there's a real openness to the drawing. It reflects a culture of travel and tourism, that was enabled by industrialization, and also made newly visible through the expansion of urban centers. Vos's drawing brings a sense of immediacy to the scene. It reminds us that seeing, recording, and representing are all forms of making, and that these practices are deeply intertwined with social and economic transformations.