Vrouw met een hoed 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh dashed off this drawing, Vrouw met een hoed, with what looks like pencil, and maybe even in one go. It’s all about the line here, right? See how it confidently swoops and darts, not trying to be perfect, but trying to be alive. Look at that scribble on the side of her face. Is it hair? Is it shadow? It’s both, and neither. It just *is*. It reminds me that art isn't about showing what's there, but about noticing what happens when you try to show what’s there. There’s a wonderful lightness to the whole thing, a sense of the artist just letting his hand do the talking, like a jazz musician riffing on a theme, or Cy Twombly’s calligraphic gestures. Vreedenburgh did quite a few paintings of landscapes that are much more composed, but I find this sketch so full of energy. It makes me think about how art is always a conversation between the artist and the world, a dance of seeing and doing.