Montelbaanstoren te Amsterdam 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this pencil drawing of the Montelbaanstoren in Amsterdam, on paper, maybe in the early 20th century. It’s a study, really, and I love seeing an artist's process laid bare like this. The hatching is so clear, you can see the direction Vreedenburgh’s hand took as he built up the form of the tower, and the buildings around it. Look at the top right. Those areas of dark hatching feel solid, weighty, while the rest of the tower is just a suggestion, a ghost. It feels like a memory of a building, not a photograph. The interesting thing is the bare paper he leaves - that's where the light is! The blank spaces are active, not passive. It reminds me of Mondrian’s architectural drawings, or even some of Agnes Martin’s grids. Artists, all talking to each other across time.