Huizen, met kleurnotities 1873 - 1932

Wilhelmus Johannes Steenhoff made this drawing of houses with color notes, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century, probably in situ. I love that it’s so immediate, you can feel the artist looking and responding in the moment. The texture of the paper is almost as important as the marks he makes on it; the strokes of graphite create areas of light and dark which seem to vibrate against the pale ground. Look at the way he uses these simple hatch marks to create form, volume, and shadow all at once. See how some of them get a little darker, a little thicker, as if he’s bearing down harder with the pencil? I’m reminded of some of Marsden Hartley's drawings; both artists shared an interest in paring down their observations to only what is essential. Of course, the act of defining what is essential is a deeply personal and subjective act. Steenhoff gives us his version, but yours may be completely different.