Studie 1890 - 1946

This is a study by Cornelis Vreedenburgh, made using what looks like pen or maybe a fine liner. The lines are so minimal, aren’t they? Like he’s trying to capture the essence of a form with the fewest possible strokes. It’s all about the process here, the searching, the finding. You can almost feel him figuring it out as he goes. The texture is smooth, simple paper. The ink isn't fighting with the surface. Look at the way the shapes overlap, how the lines suggest volume without fully committing to it. See that eye, like a single dark dot with lines emanating out, anchoring the whole composition. It’s so simple but it brings this whole character into focus. It reminds me a bit of some of Matisse’s line drawings, that same quest for pure form and simple gesture. Art is just one big conversation, really. And this piece is a quiet but powerful voice in that conversation, don't you think?