Landschap met molen bij Leiden 1917

Willem Adrianus Grondhout made this landscape with a windmill near Leiden using graphite on paper. The marks feel tentative, as if the artist is unsure of what they are doing and experimenting as they go along. I can imagine Grondhout, outside, squinting, and trying to capture what he sees in a flurry of quick marks. Notice the sharp, angular hatching that defines the sky, contrasting with the softer, more smudged lines used for the landscape. The windmill looms large, a symbol of Dutch ingenuity, with tiny birds swarming above it. I wonder if he liked the feeling of the graphite in his hand as he drew it. It reminds me of Van Gogh, maybe, but with a delicacy. Each mark feels like a small discovery, a way of understanding the world through the act of drawing. Artists are always borrowing from each other. It’s a constant back and forth of seeing, feeling, and translating.