Ophaalbrug over een gracht c. 1935 - 1936

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this sketch of a canal bridge with a humble pencil on paper. I bet you anything he was sitting outside, feeling the weather, trying to catch it all quickly. You know, I love how a simple drawing can kind of catch time, like a photograph of a feeling, only better! I imagine him thinking about how to get the light just right, you know? Squinting, maybe? I can almost see him lightly shading the buildings across the water with the side of the lead, then he gets bolder, pressing harder to define the structure of the bridge. And the tree! It’s like a cloud of scribbles, but somehow it gives you everything you need. What do you think he was thinking about the Old Masters doing quick studies? Or later, the Impressionists who were obsessed with light, like him. It’s all one big conversation, isn’t it? And now, here we are, looking at the work, thinking our own thoughts. That's why painting is cool.