Staande man bij een ligstoel 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this line drawing on paper, which is now in the Rijksmuseum, and what strikes me is its pure, unadorned quality. It feels immediate, a direct translation of sight to paper. There's a beautiful simplicity in the way Vreedenburgh uses the pen, each line confident yet economical, capturing the essence of form with minimal fuss. Notice how he suggests volume and space with just a few strokes, like in the reclining figure where the curves of the body are hinted at rather than defined. The texture of the paper itself becomes part of the artwork. It's almost as if the drawing is a fleeting thought, a whisper of an image caught in time. This work reminds me of Matisse's line drawings, in the way that he also used line to capture form. Yet, Vreedenburgh's piece has a raw, unassuming quality that invites us to see the world with fresh eyes, appreciating the beauty in the everyday. Art isn’t just about what’s depicted, but about how it makes you feel, and this one makes me feel calm.