Huizen c. 1909s

Alexander Shilling made this drawing called 'Huizen' in what looks like a sketchbook, probably using a graphite pencil. It's all about process; the artist just putting down what he sees in front of him. The thing that strikes me about this drawing is the bare minimum of line and tone. It's a kind of shorthand, an attempt to capture the essence of a scene, maybe houses, maybe trees, in a very immediate way. You can see how the artist is thinking through the marks. There are lines on top of lines, erasures, and pentimenti – ghostly traces of earlier attempts. Look at the way the artist uses hatching to create a sense of volume and depth. Those simple, repetitive marks give the buildings or trees a real presence. In some ways, this drawing reminds me of Philip Guston's late work. Both artists share a similar interest in simplification and in using a kind of cartoonish style to convey complex ideas. Art is just one big conversation!