Man die aardappels rooit in een veld 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh drew this scene of a man harvesting potatoes in a field with graphite on paper. The beautiful thing about a drawing like this is how it exposes the nuts and bolts of art-making. You can see the artist figuring things out, making decisions as he goes along. The marks are tentative, searching. It’s like watching someone think on paper. I’m drawn to the area of shadow beneath the figures. Look how the graphite is layered, built up with these tiny, almost frantic marks. It’s not just about depicting shadow, it’s about the physical act of applying the graphite, the pressure of the hand, the way the material responds to the tooth of the paper. That kind of physicality is so important. You can almost feel the artist's presence. This piece reminds me a little of Van Gogh's drawings – that same sense of urgency and directness. Ultimately, it highlights how art isn't about capturing a fixed reality, but about the ongoing process of seeing, feeling, and responding to the world.