Auto's, voetgangers en een tram op een weg 1890 - 1946

This sketch, "Autos, Voetgangers en een Tram op een Weg," by Cornelis Vreedenburgh is a reminder that drawing is about process. Look closely at how the tramlines and buildings are rendered with thin, tentative lines, full of energy, but also a little bit awkward. The marks feel exploratory, as if the artist is thinking through the image as he draws it. The soft graphite is smudged in places, creating a hazy atmosphere which softens the angularity of the urban scene. I love the way the trees are rendered with a more scribbled, chaotic energy, as if the artist is less interested in depicting them realistically than in capturing their feeling of wildness and irregularity. It reminds me a little of Philip Guston’s looser, more abstract drawings. Art is always about this conversation, about how we can approach the world in new ways, always open to possibilities and ambiguity.