Kerk met een toren in een dorp 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this drawing of a church with a tower in a village with graphite on paper. The thing I notice first is the feeling of searching in the lines, as if the tower and the village emerge from a cloud of graphite marks. It feels immediate, and spontaneous, like a quick study from life. There's a real sense of the artist trying to capture the essence of the scene, rather than getting bogged down in details. Look at the way the shadows are suggested with loose hatching. You can almost feel the sun on the buildings, or the cool air in the shadows. It’s interesting how Vreedenburgh uses these simple marks to give us a sense of place. The way the church tower is suggested with just a few lines reminds me of some of Matisse’s drawings - that same economy of line, and confidence in suggestion. It's a reminder that art isn't about perfection; it's about the process, the journey of seeing and understanding.