Kerktoren en een molen aan een waterkant c. 1909s

Alexander Shilling created this sketch of a church tower and windmill by a river with graphite on paper. The composition, split across two pages of a sketchbook, invites us to see the subtle nuances of quick notations. The left page features a light, almost ethereal rendering of the church tower. Shilling's lines, spare and delicate, barely define the structure, giving it an ephemeral quality. In contrast, the windmill on the right is rendered with darker, more assertive strokes. This contrast isn't just about light and shadow; it’s about the very essence of form, a dialogue between solidity and ethereality. The structural contrast might suggest Shilling's exploration of architectural forms beyond mere representation. Instead he seems to be capturing fleeting impressions and the interplay between the tangible and intangible. The sketch, therefore, becomes a study in contrasts. The solidity of the architecture versus the fluidity of perception.