A Coastal Scene with a Fortified Town c. 1670

Jacob van der Ulft made this coastal scene using pen and brown ink, perhaps with some wash, on paper. These are traditional art materials, but here they're used with a wonderful freedom. The thinness of the ink allows every stroke to be visible. Van der Ulft uses this quality to great effect, creating a sense of bustling activity with a minimum of means. The architecture in the background is conveyed with just a few lines, and the figures are even more schematic, yet they convey a sense of narrative. The artist was very skilled at suggesting depth and movement through the sheer economy of his marks. Consider the amount of labor involved in creating a drawing like this; it's not just about the time spent, but the years of practice required to develop such a confident hand. We're accustomed to thinking of drawings as preliminary to painting, but here the drawing is the complete artwork. It has a unique and enduring appeal.