Balen hooi op wagens aan de oever van de Theems 1936

This is a small pencil drawing of hay bales on wagons by Frank Short. It looks like he's used soft pencils and maybe some stumps or rags to create these atmospheric cloudy skies. It really speaks to an understanding of art making as a process, where the artist is trying to capture a fleeting moment. What I find so compelling is the materiality of the piece. The tones are muted, almost monochromatic, which gives it a very somber, almost melancholic feel. Look closely, and you can see how the light reflects off the surface of the paper, creating a subtle shimmer. In the middle ground, there's this sort of dark mass of trees, and the marks are looser, more gestural, giving the piece a sense of immediacy. It reminds me of some of the work of James Whistler, particularly his nocturnes, where he's exploring these same themes of light, atmosphere, and mood. Ultimately it's about embracing ambiguity, and recognizing that art is always an ongoing conversation, a dialogue between artists, ideas, and histories.