Brug bij Langham Mill 1913 - 1918

Alexander Shilling made this sketch of Langham Mill with graphite on paper. Shilling used a humble material, graphite, a form of carbon that leaves a silvery-grey mark when rubbed onto a surface. With this simple material, Shilling rapidly captured the essential forms of the rural scene. The thickness and direction of the lines suggest the textures and light of the landscape, imbuing it with social and cultural significance. The rapid, gestural strokes speak to the immediate encounter between the artist and the motif, while the medium allowed for easy portability, in keeping with the rise of plein air landscape painting. But the very notion of making a virtue of a sketch also challenged conventions. As with other similar works, Shilling seems to be telling us that the quick impression is as valid as a highly labored, finished artwork. He invites us to value the immediacy of the hand and eye, and a less mediated experience of the world.