Paardenkoets en een straat met figuren c. 1908 - 1923

Ferdinand Oldewelt made this drawing of a horse-drawn carriage and a street with figures using graphite on paper. The energy of this sketch makes me feel like I’m looking at a scene caught in motion. It's like Oldewelt was trying to grab a fleeting moment, not nail down every little detail, you know? I can imagine him standing there, quickly capturing the scene as it unfolds. The horse and carriage almost seem to float on the page, suggested by soft, light marks. And the figures! They're like ghosts, quickly rendered, each a little dash of life. Look at the one on the right. The sketchiness lends a certain liveliness, doesn’t it? Almost like a shorthand for real life. It reminds me of other sketch artists like Daumier. It's like they're all in conversation, sketching their way through the world.