Door een boog overkapte stenen trap c. 1935 - 1936

This drawing of a stone staircase under an archway was made by Cornelis Vreedenburgh, and it's currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. The piece is a delicate, almost ethereal sketch. Look at how Vreedenburgh uses light and shadow to give the structure depth. The lines are so subtle, so tentative, like he’s feeling his way through the space. It feels like a fleeting moment captured in graphite. Notice the arch, how it's not perfectly symmetrical, but slightly wonky, like a real arch made of real stones. And the shadows. It’s as if he's more interested in the play of light than the solid form. It's a beautiful tension between precision and looseness. This drawing reminds me of Piranesi’s architectural fantasies, though much more intimate and personal. Both artists share a fascination with the way structures shape our perception and experience. But where Piranesi is grandiose, Vreedenburgh is quiet and contemplative. Art, like architecture, builds a space for us to wander through, to question, to dream.