Landschap met een molen 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this pencil sketch of a landscape with a mill, probably on location, maybe in the early 20th century. You can see the way the pencil moves nervously across the page, trying to capture the essence of the scene. I wonder what the weather was like that day? Did he have to hold onto his hat? Was he battling mosquitos? I can feel the artist making quick decisions, trying to get as much information down as possible before the light changes. There’s a wonderful sense of movement in the marks that suggest foliage, water, and the solid structure of the mill itself. It reminds me of other landscape painters of the period, like Mondrian, who were similarly trying to distill the world around them into simplified forms. Artists are always in conversation with each other, riffing on the ideas of those who came before, and pushing the boundaries of what painting can be.