Boerderij aan water 1872 - 1939

Egbert Rubertus Derk Schaap made this drawing, Boerderij aan water, on paper with pencil. You can see the process right there on the surface. The marks, the rubbing out, the attempts at rendering, all visible. I can just imagine Schaap with his materials trying to capture the scene before him, thinking: “How can I describe light with just a pencil?” The marks on the paper become a kind of translation of the three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional plane. I like how the house is squat and dark, while the reflection in the water dissolves into hazy light. Thinking about other artists, I wonder if Schaap knew the work of Whistler, another great maker of tonal landscapes. All artists are in conversation with each other, and with the world. Looking at a simple drawing like this reminds me that painting, or even drawing, isn't about perfection, it's about seeing, feeling, and trying to find a way to put that on paper.