Figuren op een kade c. 1935 - 1936

This is Cornelis Vreedenburgh’s ‘Figuren op een kade’, made with pencil on paper, it's all about capturing a fleeting moment, a quick impression of a scene. The thing about a drawing like this is that the bareness of the support gives it its energy. The paper breathes! It’s not about perfection, it’s about the process of seeing and recording. The lines are so light, like whispers, barely there, but they suggest a whole world. Look at the way he uses a few strokes to define the figures, so economical, so confident. The texture of the paper becomes part of the drawing, adding depth and atmosphere. It reminds me of the sketches artists like Giacometti would do – capturing the essence of a subject with the fewest possible marks. It’s like he’s saying, "Here’s the minimum I need to tell you what I saw." It celebrates ambiguity and the beauty of unfinished thoughts.