Flusslandschaft mit romanischem Kirchbau (Speyerer Dom_) 

Wilhelm Kalb sketched this landscape with the Speyer Cathedral in sight, using charcoal on paper. The material itself invites a directness, a kind of immediacy. It’s not about rendering a perfect scene. Charcoal allows for quick, expressive marks; you can see the artist building up tones with smudges and broad strokes. Consider what it means to choose a material like charcoal, so elemental, so basic. It’s the residue of burned wood, something fragile and fleeting made permanent on the page. It doesn’t have the same preciousness of oils, or the high refinement of engraving. The rough quality aligns with the subject too, the natural landscape and the implied labor of those boats on the river. The drawing’s appeal lies in this tension – a grand architectural subject conveyed through humble means. It reminds us that even the most impressive achievements rest on simple foundations.