Zeilboten op het water 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this pencil drawing, titled "Zeilboten op het water", at an unknown date. Isn’t it interesting how some artists make marks to try to capture a feeling, not just a likeness? See how Vreedenburgh uses these scribbled lines, almost like tangled threads, to suggest the breezy, undefined shapes of clouds. The whole thing is made from such simple gestures – just pencil on paper. Look at how the shading on the boats is achieved with these quickly hatched lines. It feels like Vreedenburgh was trying to capture the essence of the scene in a hurry, like he didn't want to miss the moment. It reminds me of some of the sketchbooks of Constable, where you see the same kind of searching for the right way to describe what he sees. It shows that art isn't always about perfection; sometimes, it's about the joy of trying to capture something fleeting.