Gebouwen te Löbtau 1876 - 1951

This is Theo Nieuwenhuis’s sketch of buildings in Löbtau. I can imagine him outside, squinting, trying to capture the essence of this place with a stick of graphite. Look at the density of lines massed together to render the form of the building. The fuzzy, tentative strokes suggest he’s building up the image, feeling his way, not trying to be too precise or precious. It’s like he’s saying, "Okay, let's see, how do I make this tower rise, how do I capture the bulk of this roof?" The marks he makes around the edges suggest that the buildings are permeable, part of an environment, in dialogue with their surroundings. I see a conversation between what is solid and what dissolves. He is definitely in conversation with artists like Cezanne, finding ways of working that open up more seeing, more thinking, more experiencing. I can really relate to that.