Weg 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this drawing, Weg, using what looks like pencil on paper. The barest of marks sketch out the suggestion of a scene. I’m thinking about Vreedenburgh making this, perhaps quickly. It could be the beginning of a painting, or maybe it's a record of something seen, a walk somewhere. I can see a line for the ground, some buildings. There is a lightness of touch, with some lines stronger than others, describing shape and form with a minimum of fuss. When I look at this, I feel the artist figuring things out, trying to grasp the essence of the place in front of them. There is a conversation happening between eye, hand, and paper. I get the sense of fleetingness, an attempt to catch something before it disappears, a sketch which captures the energy and immediacy of the moment. It reminds me that painting is always an experiment, always provisional, and all the more alive for it.