Abklatsch van een krijttekening 1890 - 1946

Curator: Looking at this "Abklatsch van een krijttekening", a graphite and chalk drawing by Cornelis Vreedenburgh that our records place sometime between 1890 and 1946 here at the Rijksmuseum... It’s giving off such a ghostly vibe. Editor: Yes, I agree. There is an almost spectral quality to the piece—very muted and veiled in its rendering. The drawing almost seems to be in a constant state of disappearing! Curator: Right? It makes you wonder about the 'why' behind it. Maybe it was an experiment? A sketch destined for something else? Perhaps Vreedenburgh wanted to see what it felt like to capture a fleeting impression, almost like memory itself... faded and fragmented? Editor: Certainly possible. Analyzing it formally, you have this diffuse application of the graphite across the off-white paper; an overall soft tonal range further enhanced, undoubtedly, by the 'Abklatsch', or 'print' quality alluded to in the title. I suppose this printing method reduces the sharpness of the chalk beneath. This treatment obscures edges, blending them in such a way that it deemphasizes traditional representational clarity. Curator: Mmm, a softening, a way of muting what could have been very direct, especially in portraiture which Vreedenburgh explored... I can almost smell the artist’s studio, the faint, dry dustiness of the chalk, if you will. Editor: A sensual synesthesia is most appropriate, here! Because as a representation it fails, paradoxically it compels. A traditional drawing is meant to elucidate the contours of its referent... but, look closer! Here, the drawing erodes the integrity of form altogether; almost denying clear perception by creating an index that refuses clear representation. It makes a case for negative-space becoming a key focal point... Curator: I love how something so minimal can spark so much thought. There's something really compelling in this simplicity and ghostliness. I think I can feel a touch of melancholy seeping through! Editor: A fascinating distillation. Ultimately, “Abklatsch van een krijttekening" refuses the conventions of traditional draftsmanship through it's very composition! Curator: Absolutely, a whisper instead of a shout. I won’t forget it easily! Editor: Indeed. Perhaps its quietude is its power, and why it warrants a moment of contemplation from today's museumgoer.