Aangemeerde boten op een vaart Possibly 1908

Alexander Shilling made this drawing of boats with pencil and paper. I imagine Shilling standing on the banks of the canal and quickly sketching what’s in front of him. He’s using the pencil to capture the rough textures of the boats, the rippling water, and the cloudy sky. It is a moment of calligraphic contemplation. There’s something about the way the lines overlap and intersect that makes the image feel alive, like it’s constantly shifting and changing. Shilling’s work reminds me of other landscape painters like John Constable. Both artists share an interest in capturing the subtleties of light and atmosphere. Ultimately, drawing, like painting, becomes a way of seeing, thinking, and feeling the world. Each gesture embodies a moment of perception. The artist’s looking becomes our own.