Omheinde boerderij 1907

Alexander Shilling made this drawing of an enclosed farm, probably outside, with pencil on paper. I like the way the pencil is used to create a sense of depth and texture, it reminds me of the way you can build something up out of nothing by just continually marking a surface. The thing that really grabs me about this work is the way the marks are layered and the varying pressure applied to the pencil. Look how the marks suggesting the thatch on the roof are not uniform, but varied and scribbled with light and shade. It's like Shilling is thinking about the way the light hits the surface as much as the surface itself. You know, this kind of process reminds me a little of Alfred Sisley, the way he seemed to use color to capture light and atmosphere through repeated observation of a scene. It's that sense of ongoing conversation and development that’s so beautiful. For me, art is never a closed book; it’s always inviting you to bring your own ideas to the table, isn’t it?