Straat met bomen een een wandelende figuur 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this drawing, "Straat met bomen en een wandelende figuur," using graphite on paper, and right away you get this sense of immediacy from it. It’s like catching a thought in mid-air. Look at the way he uses these quick, repetitive marks to build up the forms of the trees and buildings. It’s almost like he’s scribbling, but with a purpose. Those horizontal lines slicing across the middle, they create this sense of depth, right? The density of the marks gives a tangible weight to the foliage, while the bare paper lets the light flood in. And that little figure walking down the street, barely there, yet essential. Vreedenburgh reminds me a little of Morandi, who was similarly obsessed with rendering the world in endless permutations. Both artists show us how even the simplest marks can open up a whole world of feeling.