Voorgevel van een gebouw aan een straat 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this pencil drawing, Voorgevel van een gebouw aan een straat, sometime between 1900 and 1946, sketching a building facade on a street. The artist's hand is so present here, isn't it? See how the lines vary in weight and direction, building up the image through layers of hatching? I love that sense of process, like we're watching the scene emerge through the artist's searching gaze. It's almost as if the building is being constructed before our very eyes. Notice how the areas of shadow are created by dense, almost frantic, marks, while the lighter areas are rendered with a more delicate touch. Look at the upper-left corner of the facade, where the hatching is especially energetic, creating a real sense of depth and texture. It gives the building a palpable presence. I can't help but think of Cezanne's watercolors when I look at this. Both artists share that interest in building form through subtle gradations of tone and the suggestion of form as a cumulative process. It's a reminder that art is as much about the journey as it is about the destination.