Boten op de Oudezijds Kolk 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this sketch of boats on the Oudezijds Kolk with graphite. There's an openness to it - he’s figuring out the image as he goes. It's really about the act of looking and recording, a moment captured, more than any sense of precise representation. I love the way that the heavy, dark lines establish the architecture on either side of the canal, while the boats themselves seem much more lightly rendered, somehow afloat in the image as well as the water. Look at the cross-hatching in the shadows, and how they give a sense of depth. The way he uses the side of the pencil to create tone, rather than lines, especially to the left. Vreedenburgh reminds me of someone like Giorgio Morandi, who also used a limited palette and a focus on everyday subjects to create these really intimate and contemplative works. They both show us that art isn’t about grand gestures, it's about seeing the world around you with fresh eyes.