Rij plattelandswoningen Possibly 1913 - 1917

Alexander Shilling's drawing of rural houses looks like it was quickly jotted down in pencil, or maybe charcoal, in a sketchbook. You can almost feel the scratch of the pencil on the page, and the artist rapidly capturing the scene before him. I love the way the lines vary in thickness, giving the image a real sense of depth and texture. The artist is making simple marks which feel both precise and loose. I wonder what the story is? Maybe he was passing through the countryside, and felt compelled to capture a moment of everyday life. Or was he planning a more ambitious project and using the sketch as a starting point? I can imagine him standing there, squinting in the sunlight, quickly trying to capture the essence of this row of rural houses. And I can see how this little drawing might connect to the work of other artists who are interested in landscape and light, like Constable or Corot. It's all one big conversation, you know, with artists building on each other's ideas and inspiring each other across time.