Gezicht op Dordrecht 1907

This is Gezicht op Dordrecht by Alexander Shilling. The sketchiness gives it a real sense of immediacy. Shilling’s clearly trying to capture a fleeting moment with just a few, well-placed lines. It’s honest, you know? No frills. I’m really drawn to the way Shilling uses line to suggest form and texture. Take a look at the boat. It’s not perfectly rendered, but you get a sense of its shape and weight through these varied marks. It’s almost like he’s thinking out loud with his pencil. And the scratchy lines indicating the water, they really capture the movement and reflection. It reminds me a bit of some of Constable's sketches, that same interest in capturing the atmosphere of a place, but Shilling’s got his own thing going on. It feels very personal, like a visual diary entry. It leaves plenty of room for interpretation and personal connection.