Landschap met bomen c. 1909s

Here's a drawing by Alexander Shilling, probably made on site with just a graphite pencil and a sketchbook. Just imagine Shilling, outdoors, quickly capturing what's in front of him. The drawing on the right has got these dense, almost scribbled lines piling up, full of energy. You can feel the thickness of the trees. Then, over on the left, the lines are fainter, paler, giving a sense of distance, maybe even a bit of haze. It reminds me of those quick sketches artists like Van Gogh or Constable would make - notes almost. Shilling’s definitely thinking about light and space here. I think it’s about how drawing can be a way of thinking, you know? Like, he's not just copying what he sees, but really trying to understand it. And maybe that's what all us artists are trying to do too, in our own way, again and again.