Met vracht beladen boot op het water 1890 - 1946

This drawing of a boat on the water was made by Cornelis Vreedenburgh using graphite on paper. The marks feel provisional, as though he's mapping out the form of the boat. You can almost feel Vreedenburgh's hand moving across the page, searching for the right angles and curves to capture the essence of the boat. Look at the way the shading gives weight and volume to the hull. What was he thinking as he sketched? Perhaps he was trying to capture the fleeting light on the water, or maybe he was simply drawn to the boat's shape. Drawing is so much about touch and looking. It makes you think about the work of other artists like Mondrian, who also explored the geometry of the world through simple lines. Ultimately, drawing, like painting, is about discovery, about finding new ways of seeing and feeling. Artists talk to each other across time, inspiring new ways to imagine the world.