Zittende man in een boot 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this drawing of a seated man in a boat, probably en plein air, using graphite on paper. What strikes me first is the immediacy. You get the sense of an artist quickly capturing a scene, the marks are tentative, searching. Look at the way the form of the boat is suggested with just a few scribbled lines. The pencil work is so delicate, almost like a whisper. The textures are soft, and the tones are gentle. It's incredible how much information Vreedenburgh conveys with so little. The area around the figure’s head is particularly interesting, see how Vreedenburgh uses short, broken lines to suggest the light catching the man’s face. This is where the eye is drawn, a focal point created with the simplest of means. It reminds me of some of Manet’s sketches, that same emphasis on capturing the fleeting moment with minimal fuss. Art, at its best, is an ongoing conversation and Vreedenburgh has certainly added his voice to the chorus.