Sleepboot op de Maas 1885 - 1931

Frederika Henriëtte Broeksmit made this energetic drawing, Sleepboot op de Maas, with pencil on paper. Just look at the rhythmic marks of the pencil and how the whole scene seems to be moving. The light grey tones evoke a misty day out on the water. I can imagine Broeksmit, maybe on a boat herself, quickly capturing the scene with short, urgent strokes. It feels like she’s trying to keep up with the waves and the boats! See how the lines around the boats and sails aren't perfectly defined? This makes the boats appear to be part of the water, bobbing in the waves, and suggests a fleeting moment in time, as if she is not only trying to draw what she sees, but also the experience of seeing it. Artists are always looking at each other, borrowing and learning, in a constant conversation across time. Broeksmit's loose, expressive lines are a reminder that painting and drawing can be about capturing an experience as much as creating a perfect image.