Gezicht op Rotterdam vanaf het water 1910

Simon Moulijn made this view of Rotterdam from the water using pencil on paper. Look at the soft gray tones and the way the pencil work creates texture. You can almost feel the movement of the water and the smoke billowing in the sky. I'm trying to imagine what it was like for Moulijn to create this piece. Did he stand on the shore, feeling the breeze as he sketched? How long did it take him to capture the scene in such detail? What was he thinking about? The steamboats chugging along, the buildings lining the waterfront, it's all so carefully rendered with the graphite pencil. It’s as if he’s not just showing us the city, but also inviting us to reflect on the relationship between humans and the urban landscape. He's in conversation with a whole host of other artists who have tried to capture the essence of a place. That is what art is all about—an ongoing exchange of ideas that inspire creativity.