Brug over een gracht in een stad 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this sketch of a bridge over a canal in a city with graphite on paper. Look how the hatching is used to create shade, a layering of marks one on top of the other, a real process of building up an image. The surface of the paper peeks through, giving it an airy feel, like a moment captured on the go. The artist hasn't tried to hide the process, you can see every stroke, every decision. The dark patches of graphite, especially around the bridge, give the image weight, anchoring it to the page. Notice how the lines are confident yet also tentative, searching for the right form, and how the marks create a sense of depth and distance. This sketch reminds me a little of the drawings of Walter Sickert, another artist who loved to capture the everyday scenes of city life, they both understood the power of suggestion, leaving space for the viewer to fill in the gaps.