Gezicht op Dordrecht 1907

This is a small pencil sketch made by Alexander Shilling in 1903 of Gezicht op Dordrecht. I can really feel the artist’s hand in this sketch. It’s as though I’m right there with him, watching the scene unfold. He is figuring it out as he goes, feeling his way through the landscape, and trying to find a way to capture its essence. It's as if each line is a question, a probe into the nature of seeing. The marks are so tentative and delicate, they almost disappear into the paper. Yet, together, they create a whole world. Look at the church tower, a series of lines that somehow manage to convey both solidity and lightness. The boats, too, are rendered with a few strokes, yet they feel full of movement and life. It is a reminder that art is not about perfection or precision, but about feeling, intuition, and the joy of making.