Ronde Lutherse Kerk aan het Singel te Amsterdam 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this drawing of the Ronde Lutherse Kerk in Amsterdam with graphite on paper. I love the way the artist here used a range of marks to build up the image, from the soft, smudgy shading to the sharp, quick lines that capture the building’s structure. You can almost feel the artist standing there, rapidly sketching the scene, trying to capture the light and shadow. I imagine Vreedenburgh really wrestling with the image, trying to get the perspective just right, thinking about tonal variation to convey the essence of the architecture. And there’s something so satisfying about seeing that process laid bare, the pentimenti showing the artist’s thought process. It’s like glimpsing the ghost of the artist's hand. This drawing reminds me that art is just as much about the process of seeing and thinking, as it is about the final product. Vreedenburgh and so many other artists are in an ongoing conversation, constantly pushing the boundaries of what drawing can be, inspiring us to see the world in new and exciting ways.