Straathoek 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this drawing, ‘Straathoek’, with pen in hand. It’s all about the process, isn’t it? A network of lines searching for a form. Look at how Vreedenburgh coaxes a building out of the page. The quick, darting marks imply so much with so little, the pen almost skittering across the surface. There’s no erasing, just a build-up of lines, of decisions made and left visible, like a map of the artist’s thought process. Notice that circular form on the left, balanced on the edge of the building. What is it, a streetlamp, a sign? It's a beautiful moment of ambiguity. This reminds me of the urban sketches of Lyonel Feininger, another artist who found poetry in the everyday architecture of the city. But while Feininger's drawings are often sharp and angular, Vreedenburgh's feels softer, more intimate. It’s a reminder that art is always a conversation, an ongoing exchange of ideas and ways of seeing.