Staande man bij een ligstoel 1890 - 1946

This pen on paper drawing is by Cornelis Vreedenburgh, and depicts figures with a reclining chair. I love the feeling of these quick sketches, like he’s trying to capture a scene fleeting past. The thin lines vary in pressure, some darker and more emphatic, others so light they’re almost invisible. I wonder what Vreedenburgh was thinking as he made it, what was his intention? Was he trying to record the scene accurately or interpret it through his own feelings and ideas? The layering of the figures creates an interesting composition, it reminds me a little of Matisse's cutouts, where forms overlap and interact to create a dynamic whole. As painters we’re all in conversation with each other, across time and place. This drawing captures a sense of intimacy and observation that speaks to me. I can really feel the artist's presence and energy in the marks on the page, in the way it invites multiple readings, and resists being pinned down to one single interpretation.