Gezicht op Emmerik, 1672 1900 - 1903

The brothers Moreau made this drawing of Emmerik in 1672, using what looks like graphite on paper. It's easy to imagine them both out on location together to capture this view. I wonder if it was a collaborative effort, one brother working on the buildings while the other focused on the landscape? The towers, windmills, and simple homes are rendered with delicate marks. What strikes me is the calm, almost still quality of the water in the foreground. You can see the subtle reflections of the town. The surface of the water becomes a kind of mirror, reflecting and distorting the image. I think drawing requires a different kind of observation than painting – a quiet stillness, and patient building up of detail. Drawings like this one offer a glimpse into how artists see and interpret their surroundings. It's like they're in conversation with one another across time, each adding their own unique perspective to the ever-evolving story of art. What will you add to the conversation?