Gezicht op Bern 1959

Max von Mühlenen made this view of Bern with pencil on paper, and it's got this delicate, almost ghostly quality to it. You can really see the artmaking as a process in the layering of lines, like he's feeling his way through the image. The pencil work creates such a beautiful texture; it's light but present. Look at the way he renders the trees in the foreground. There's this incredible density of marks, like a scribble that somehow resolves into form. And then there are the buildings in the distance, rendered with such precision, almost like an architectural drawing. It's like he's playing with different modes of representation. The soft gradient of the skyline suggests a distant, possibly imagined landscape. Mühlenen’s approach reminds me of Agnes Martin; he has this kind of quiet dedication to his craft. They both show that art doesn't need to shout to be heard, it can whisper too. Ultimately, this drawing is a testament to the power of observation and the magic that happens when you let the process guide you.