Huizen aan een waterkant 1890 - 1946

Curator: Looking at this wispy sketch, I immediately feel a sense of incompleteness and impermanence. The marks are light, almost hesitant. Editor: Indeed. What we're seeing is Cornelis Vreedenburgh's "Huizen aan een waterkant," or "Houses on a Waterfront," which was created sometime between 1890 and 1946. It’s a study in pencil and ink on paper, held here at the Rijksmuseum. Curator: So, it's a preliminary sketch? That explains the open, airy quality. It captures more of a feeling, an impression, than a precise rendering. It also carries the feeling of calm to me. Editor: Absolutely. These quick notations served as vital steps in the artist's practice. Consider the date range – that period of urbanization, especially in Amsterdam. This image allows us insight into a visual culture grappling with monumental societal change. The way that he uses shadows seems to represent a strong sense of time passing, and how society sees these changes over time as well. Curator: And I find myself drawn to those marks themselves. There is something very evocative about seeing an artist's first thoughts, his process laid bare, almost a glimpse into his creative unconscious. In his marks there is even a memory being made. How powerful to show your memories and what memories can hold and grow into through just these drawings. Editor: Precisely, and in the context of public art, how important it is to have artworks, like this one, that seem spontaneous but reflect careful engagement. These preliminary sketches have been seen in sketchbooks and initial concepts, that many may not get the chance to view or think about without a piece like this. To allow these insights is amazing. Curator: A really wonderful idea and representation of initial steps that all creations must face. Thank you for revealing even more of the story for us today! Editor: My pleasure. Thinking about the wider artistic implications here adds another layer to this unassuming study.