Aangemeerde boten op een vaart Possibly 1908

Alexander Shilling made this pencil sketch of boats moored on a canal, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. You know, there's something so honest about a pencil sketch, it’s like seeing the artist’s thoughts unfold on paper. The materiality here is all about the graphite and the paper. Shilling uses these simple materials to suggest a whole world. Look at how the dense, dark lines create the form of the boats. The texture almost feels like you could reach out and touch the rough wood. The light is captured through the varying pressure of the pencil, creating depth and shadow. And the marks? Each one feels deliberate. The horizontal strokes suggesting the water are particularly interesting; they remind me of the way Philip Guston would often use repeated lines to create a sense of atmosphere and movement. It’s a reminder that art is a conversation across time, and that even the simplest sketch can be a powerful expression of an artist's vision.