Weiland met hooioppers en een boerderij c. 1909s

Alexander Shilling made this small sketch in pencil, perhaps en plein air, it captures Weiland with haystacks and a farm. The haystacks are rendered with loose, energetic lines, giving them a sense of volume, while the landscape behind is barely suggested, almost fading into the background. This sketch isn't about perfect representation; it's about the gesture, the feeling of being there. Look at the right-hand side where the bark of the tree is described with quick, repeated marks. Shilling isn't trying to trick us into thinking we're looking at real bark, but isn’t it bark-like? What I mean is, the texture, the layering – it's all there in the way the pencil moves across the page. You can imagine Shilling standing there, quickly capturing the scene. It reminds me of the landscapes of Camille Corot; both artists share a similar sensitivity to the natural world and the ability to convey atmosphere with minimal means. This work is so subtle, so simple, and yet it speaks volumes about the artist's eye and the magic of the everyday.