Stoomschip aan een kade gezien vanaf een terras c. 1936

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this drawing of a steamboat at a quay, seen from a terrace, with ink on paper. I can imagine Vreedenburgh quickly sketching as he sits at a table. The steamship looms large, rendered with these quick, almost scribbled marks. Look at how the vertical strokes suggest the ship's height and the crisscrossing lines capture the texture of the quay. I bet he was thinking about how to convey depth and scale with just a few lines. The hatching is really great here! There's a looseness to the drawing that feels spontaneous, as if he was capturing a fleeting moment. It reminds me of other artists who worked in sketchbooks, like Van Gogh, always observing, always recording. In fact, I wonder if Vreedenburgh knew Van Gogh. Even now, artists are still using sketchbooks, so we are all kind of in the same conversation.