Man die een zeil hijst op een boot 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this drawing of a man hoisting a sail on a boat with ink on paper. It's all about the bare bones of form; the lines are quick, searching, like the artist is thinking through the image, directly onto the page. You can almost feel the scratch of the pen on the paper, can’t you? There's something so immediate about it. Vreedenburgh isn't trying to hide the process, instead it's there for us to see, it's all part of the story. Look at the economy of line used to suggest the figure and sails, just enough information to convey the scene, but leaving plenty to the imagination. The tension between what’s there and what isn’t. Vreedenburgh reminds me a little of someone like James Ensor. Both artists who are able to capture a sense of movement, Ensor especially, with the merest flick of the wrist, and with an apparent looseness which belies the control and practice that makes it all possible. Art's a conversation, a constant exchange. And that's how we learn, by looking, thinking, and doing.