Door een boog overkapte stenen trap c. 1935 - 1936

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this pencil sketch of a stone staircase with an arched doorway, location and date unknown. I can really feel the artist here, in the act of recording. Look at the many soft grey lines, feeling their way into the light, seeking the shape of the heavy stones and the contours of the steps. You can see where Vreedenburgh has gone over the same line, again and again, patiently capturing the scene. The artist must have been thinking about how to show the depth of the image, perhaps considering the tonal qualities of the marks, the way they capture light and shadow. It reminds me of other architectural studies, particularly Piranesi’s etchings of imaginary prisons. This reminds us that artists are in an ongoing conversation. Each is continually inspired by one another's creativity. This sketch is an embodied expression that embraces ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own interpretations.