Straatgezicht met de Montelbaanstoren te Amsterdam 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this street scene of Amsterdam with what looks like a graphite stick on paper. I like the way the marks are laid down. It's like he's feeling his way through the scene, not trying to be too precious, and allowing the building and the sky to emerge from a haze of lines. The texture of the graphite gives everything a slightly rough feel, like you could reach out and touch the grit of the city. Check out the lines that make the clouds. See how they swirl and bunch up? They’re not trying to be realistic, but they capture the feeling of a breezy day. It reminds me of work by Guston, he's got that same playful, almost clumsy way of drawing that I find really appealing. For both of them, it’s the process of mark-making that matters most. It's about the act of seeing and recording, not about creating a perfect picture.