Dorpsgezicht met een kerktoren en molen Possibly 1908

Alexander Shilling made this landscape sketch of a village scene with graphite on paper. The mark making here is all about economy; Shilling seems to have gotten down the essence of the landscape with as few lines as possible. I love the texture he's achieved with simple hatching. Look at the sky: these marks aren’t just lines; they're clouds, they're weather. Each stroke builds up a real sense of atmosphere. The church tower in the middle of the composition is rendered with vertical strokes like a bundle of sticks. Notice how this is echoed in the short strokes of the forground, suggesting field or long grass. This rhythm of marks pulls the whole composition together. Shilling's approach reminds me of Cezanne's watercolors, where he built up form with layers of hatched marks. Both artists use the limitations of their medium to suggest the depth and complexity of the scene. It shows how you can say so much with a light touch.