Figuren op een strand 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this small pencil sketch of figures on a beach, we don't know exactly when. The marks are delicate, exploratory, and suggest a real interest in the process of looking. There's a real lightness of touch here. Notice how the figures almost seem to float against the paper. It’s as if he is trying to catch the figures with the bare minimum of marks, like a shorthand for what he sees. The figures are weighted to the right and become fainter and less defined as they move into the distance. Look at the marks that suggest clouds in the sky, scribbled almost absentmindedly but with an eye to the overall composition. It reminds me of some of Whistler’s drawings, a similar interest in tonal values and a reductive approach. Of course, the sketch is just one moment in an ongoing conversation, influenced by what came before and influencing what will come after. Ultimately, Vreedenburgh is inviting us to embrace the beauty of simplicity and the power of suggestion.