Muntgebouw en de Munttoren te Amsterdam 1890 - 1946

Here we have Cornelis Vreedenburgh’s pencil sketch of Muntgebouw and the Munttoren in Amsterdam. Look at the tentative lines, like the artist is feeling his way around the subject. It is like he is almost trying to find it, and in the finding, create it. There is a real sense of light in this drawing, created by the variations in pressure of the pencil on the page. Notice the darker shading that gives shape to the tower and the building beneath, compared to the lighter, almost scribbled marks in the sky. The bare branches in the foreground also add to the atmosphere, like a cold, bright winter’s day. Vreedenburgh often worked ‘en plein air’ and this drawing captures something of that directness and immediacy. It reminds me a little of the sketches of Giacometti, the way a few simple lines can convey so much. Ultimately, it highlights the beauty of the unfinished, a glimpse into the artist’s process.