Man op een jaagpad Possibly 1908

Alexander Shilling made this drawing, Man on a towpath, with pencil on paper. I can almost feel the scratch of the pencil on the page, can’t you? There’s something immediate about the line, the way it captures not just the scene but the movement of the artist's hand, almost like a dance. Shilling probably wanted to capture a quick impression, a fleeting moment in time. He would have had to really feel the energy of the landscape around him to do it this fast. That lone figure, walking away, it's like a metaphor for the artist, always moving, always searching for the next thing. There's a quietness, a solitude. I wonder if Shilling was thinking about other artists when he made this piece; how they sought to explore landscapes and the human condition too. Artists are always in conversation with one another, borrowing, reacting, and pushing each other forward. It’s all a continuing exchange of ideas. Ultimately, this drawing reminds me that art is not about answers, but about questions, uncertainties, and the beautiful messiness of trying to make sense of the world.