Strandgezicht te Scheveningen 1889 - 1949

Pieter Willem van Baarsel made this drawing of Scheveningen beach; it's all hazy grays and blues, like the North Sea air itself has been caught on paper. I’m trying to imagine him there, squinting against the glare, charcoal in hand, trying to capture that particular light. I wonder, did he feel the urge to dive right into the scene? Look at the sandy texture; the marks are so delicate. And the figures on the beach, all rendered with the same soft touch. There's a kind of stillness, even though you know the sea is anything but still. Van Baarsel’s choice of medium feels significant here. Charcoal, unlike paint, doesn’t impose itself. It allows the subject to breathe, to remain elusive and dreamlike. It reminds me of Whistler's tonalist landscapes; an exercise in mood and atmosphere. It’s like a whisper of a memory, something felt more than seen.