Schetsboek met 53 bladen 1890 - 1946

Editor: Here we have Cornelis Vreedenburgh's "Schetsboek met 53 bladen," created sometime between 1890 and 1946. It’s a sketchbook, drawings on paper. The aged, toned paper gives it a real sense of history and… intimacy, I guess? What can you tell me about it? Curator: Ah, yes. Intimacy is a perfect word. It feels like peering into Vreedenburgh's private thoughts, doesn't it? A peek into the artist's mind across time. Looking at this object – more than just a collection of drawings, I sense – I wonder about the places it traveled, the ideas it captured… Did this book witness the changing world through Vreedenburgh's eyes, I wonder? Editor: Absolutely. A time capsule. What about the artistic merit though? I mean, beyond just historical interest? Curator: The "artistic merit," you say? Good question! For me, a personal sketchbook’s beauty resides less in flawless execution, but the immediacy of ideas taking form. Note the reduced colour palette, the sketchy quality of some drawings. It speaks to capturing fleeting moments and quickly jotting down concepts. What feeling do the limited, muted tones evoke for you? Editor: A sense of quiet observation, perhaps? Maybe also constraint, like he was making the most of what he had around him. Curator: Precisely. Now imagine him flipping through these pages, decades later. What would he think? Did he realise the value of preserving his spontaneous artistic voice, even in these rough, imperfect forms? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way. It really makes me appreciate sketchbooks in a completely different light! It's like looking into someone’s soul a little bit. Curator: Exactly. A dialogue across time, connecting us to Vreedenburgh in the most human of ways. That, to me, is the most valuable thing of all.