Twee molens 1910 - 1917

Alexander Shilling made this drawing of two windmills with graphite on paper. It looks like it was made in a notebook. The page on the left looks more rubbed out, like he spent time trying to capture the scene, whilst the windmill on the right is bolder, more decisive. I wonder what he was thinking when he made this? What was the light like? Was it a windy day? Did he know how windmills work? I imagine Alexander standing outside in the cold, notebook in hand, trying to capture these mills in a way that felt true to him. Looking at this sketch, I’m reminded of Van Gogh’s drawings. Artists are always in conversation with one another, looking, borrowing, and riffing on what came before. It’s a constant exchange of ideas across time. I like to think of painting as this embodied expression, a way of communicating feelings and ideas without words.