Vis aan een haak 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this drawing, “Vis aan een haak,” with pencil on paper. It's a quick sketch, so the marks are loose, like he's thinking out loud with his pencil. The most striking thing is the simplicity, a few lines to capture the essence of the fish and the hook. The texture of the paper peeks through, giving it a raw, immediate feel. Look at how he suggests the form of the fish with just a few strokes, it's like he's not trying to copy what he sees, but rather capturing the idea of a fish. The tail is just a flurry of lines. There’s something almost childlike in its directness, it reminds me of Picasso's line drawings, where a single contour can define a whole form. It’s this economy of means that makes it so powerful. Like a haiku, it says so much with so little.