Quadrant: Four themes of Petrus van der Velden, 20 October 2006 – 25 March 2007

Many of Van der Velden’s sketchbooks have had pages removed at one point or another. This work is from one of his early Dutch sketchbooks in the Gallery’s permanent collection. Thought to date from the late 1860s, its loose, spontaneous handling highlights Van der Velden’s skill in drawing. His mark-making is sure, and there is no sense of hesitation in his approach to recording the subject. Drawn rapidly from life, Van der Velden would have first outlined the man’s head, hands and body, and then worked over with shading, the density of which shifts to emphasis certain areas of the composition.