Vrouw op rustbed en man knielend naast haar 1908 - 1937

Bernard Willem Wierink made this watercolor on paper of a woman on a daybed with a man kneeling beside her. The way the colors are applied here is so tentative, like he’s feeling his way through the scene. The blue is really singing to me here, especially in the way it defines the man’s robe. It's not just blue, it's got this whole range of watery tones, like he’s using the pigment to suggest form but also emotion, right? It almost looks like a study, you know? You can see the ghost of his marks. The drawing isn’t overworked, it retains an openness; a generosity. It feels like Wierink is opening up space for the viewer, not trying to pin anything down too tightly. There's a dreaminess that reminds me of Odilon Redon, who had a similar approach to suggesting rather than stating. It’s like a conversation that unfolds over time, without needing to reach a definitive conclusion.