Studie, mogelijk een gezicht 1890 - 1946

This small drawing, possibly a face, was sketched by Cornelis Vreedenburgh in graphite on paper. It’s very minimal, a gentle sloping line, almost like a question mark, leaning slightly to the left. What strikes me most is the negative space, all that creamy paper surrounding a few delicate marks. It’s the kind of drawing you do when you’re thinking about something else, letting the pencil wander. It's not overworked, just a few lines suggesting a profile, maybe a nose and brow. The graphite is soft, creating a slightly smudged effect, and the paper seems smooth and absorbent. It's a study, so it's about the process of finding a form, a face, in the act of drawing. Vreedenburgh reminds me of Morandi, in the sense that they both seek the extraordinary within simplicity, and imply that art is always a matter of searching and experimenting.