Boekenkramen in het Zuidpaleis te Brussel c. 1880 - 1938

Amédée Lynen made this pencil drawing of the bookstalls in the Zuidpaleis in Brussels, and it's all about the grey. The thing about using just one colour is that it really lets you see how marks can make space. Look at those stacks of books! They're not just sitting there; they're practically vibrating with all those tiny lines. The texture feels almost rough, like you could run your hand over the page. Then you see the light coming through the windows above, it's a completely different feeling, much softer and more atmospheric. Lynen has built this whole world with pencil marks, with a limited palette. It reminds me of the drawings of Seurat. But where Seurat is interested in light, Lynen is interested in a social world. Both artists show that the real magic is in how you make the marks, not what colours you use.