Schetsboek met 73 bladen c. 1935 - 1936

This sketchbook with 73 sheets was made by Cornelis Vreedenburgh sometime in his lifetime, and you can see every mark, every stain, it's like a story etched into its surface. The cover itself has this raw, honest quality, it’s all muted tans and greys. I love how the texture of the fabric shows through, it feels like you could reach out and touch it, feel the weave, the history. You can see traces of what was once there. There is no need to conceal or obscure those marks, they are part of the process. It reminds me of some of Agnes Martin’s grid paintings. They're minimal, but when you look closely, you see all the little imperfections, the wobbles, the subtle shifts in tone. Vreedenburgh has this quiet energy. It is something that embraces ambiguity, allowing us to bring our own experiences to it. Like art is in a constant conversation, always evolving.