Weg in een landschap c. 1935 - 1936

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this drawing, A Road in a Landscape, with graphite on paper. It's all about process. You can see how he’s working out what to include, and how to describe it with such simple means. What gets me is the contrast between the densely worked marks on the right, and the comparatively sparse marks on the left. He really leans into the dark area, smudging the graphite, layering it to create this huge presence. Then, to the left, it’s like the pencil is barely skimming the surface, leaving just enough information for your brain to build the scene. It reminds me a little of de Kooning's landscapes, not in terms of imagery, but in how he coaxes so much from so little. These marks, the smudges, the densities, and the absences give us space to project ourselves in. What is art, if not an invitation?