Gezicht op Haarlem, gezien vanuit het Haarlemmerhoutpark 1916

This cityscape of Haarlem, viewed from Haarlemmerhoutpark, was made by Paulus Nicolaas van Alff. It’s a drawing, not a painting, but still! Look at the pale light hitting the water, the artist must have sat right here, feeling the wind on their face, squinting in the sun. The marks are so delicate, it makes me think of the artist carefully recording every detail with a super-sharp pencil. The water is especially nice, with short strokes that create a shimmering effect. I can imagine them thinking about how to capture the sense of light and movement. It’s interesting how he positions the sailboat, right in the center, as if to invite us to imagine what lies ahead. Maybe that’s the artist, in the little boat over to the right, sketching the scene! Artists are always looking, always processing the world through their mark making. It reminds us that all artists, regardless of their style, are connected through the process of seeing and translating what they see onto a surface.