Kop van een rokende man met een bril 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this drawing, Kop van een rokende man met een bril, with pen on paper. I love how the simplicity of line here really does the job. It’s casual but you get the sense of a real person. The artist lets the paper do a lot of work here, the off-white kind of warms up the coolness of the black lines, it’s a gentle support, like a good friend. The line is thicker around the glasses which gives them weight, they look heavy on the face, in contrast to the cigarette, which is just a few strokes. I love to see the other scribbles on the page underneath - it shows how one drawing can sit on top of another, how things are never really finished. The drawing reminds me of work by Philip Guston - the quick wit, the knowing observation of a person through line. Ultimately art is about conversation, and the more honest and open the better.