Twee figuren op een zeilschip 1890 - 1946

This sketch of two figures on a sailing ship was made by Cornelis Vreedenburgh, but we don’t know when. You can see how the artist has worked back and forth with the pen, figuring out how the ship sits on the water. You get a sense of searching, of moving between observation and invention. The lines are so spare, but they give you just enough to see the scene, like a memory of a day at sea. I wonder what Vreedenburgh was thinking about as he drew this? Was he trying to capture the feeling of being on the water, or was he more interested in the structure of the boat itself? Maybe he was just doodling, letting his hand wander across the page and seeing what emerged. I can relate to that! Even in its simplicity, the sketch suggests the long tradition of artists drawing boats, looking at water and sky. It’s like they’re all in conversation, each adding their own little mark to the ongoing story of seeing.