Riviergezicht met een zeilboot c. 1909s

Alexander Shilling made this landscape with graphite in his sketchbook. You know, sometimes I think of sketchbooks as a painter's safe space, or like their diary. It's where you can just let go and play around with ideas, without the pressure of making a "final" piece. This sketch is so understated and subtle. The marks are delicate, but there's a real sense of space and atmosphere. You can almost feel the breeze coming off the water and imagine Shilling sitting there, quietly observing the world around him. I wonder what he was thinking about when he made this? Maybe he was just trying to capture a fleeting moment of beauty, or maybe he was working through some bigger ideas about nature and perception. It reminds me of Agnes Martin's subtle, grid-like paintings, or maybe even some of Morandi's quiet still lifes. I love how artists can have these conversations across time, inspiring each other in unexpected ways.