Ontwerp voor drukwerk voor Jachthaven S. van Dijk c. 1935 - 1936

This is a page from a sketchbook by Cornelis Vreedenburgh, with a design for printed matter for Jachthaven S. van Dijk. It’s just pencil on paper, but look how much information it gives us, and the feeling of the artist's hand. The paper is softly grey, you can see the tooth of it, how the pencil grabs and releases. It’s the kind of drawing that tells you something about the tempo of the artist, relaxed and thoughtful. See the notations in a kind of gothic script, and the date, with the flourish underneath? It’s all part of the same sensibility. I love the way the artist has taped another piece of paper above the main sketch, maybe to cover a mistake, or to add a note. It’s a reminder that art is always provisional, a process of layering and adjustment. Like Philip Guston said, ‘Always be sure you leave a mark.’ And Vreedenburgh certainly did.