Gezicht op de Prins Hendrikkade met de Nicolaaskerk 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this pencil sketch of the Prins Hendrikkade with the Nicolaaskerk. It’s all about the process, isn’t it? The way the pencil moves across the page, like a dance, trying to catch the light bouncing off the buildings. I love how the texture of the paper becomes part of the drawing. You can almost feel the grain under your fingertips. Look closely, and you'll see how the lines are built up in layers, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. See that dark cluster of lines around the dome of the church? It's like Vreedenburgh is really digging in there, trying to capture the weight and mass of the building. The sketch reminds me of some of Mondrian’s early drawings of trees. It's like they're both searching for the underlying structure of the world, one line at a time. Art isn’t about fixed meanings, but an ongoing exploration of ideas.