Woningen bij een rivier 1929

Pieter Ras made this drawing, Woningen bij een rivier, or ‘Houses by a River,’ with graphite on paper. I’m drawn to the way the graphite is layered, almost smudged, creating a hazy atmosphere. You can feel the artist working and reworking the surface, building up these moody tones. It's like the process of drawing itself becomes the subject. Look closely at the upper right corner, where the buildings meet the sky. See how the graphite is darker, denser? It’s as if Ras pressed harder, wanting to anchor those forms against the ethereal background. That specific mark, that pressure, is so telling. It's where the solid world meets the intangible. This piece reminds me of Whistler's nocturnes, where the subject is less about the objects depicted and more about the feeling, the mood, the atmosphere. Ras is definitely in conversation with those artists, exploring the poetry of the everyday. Art's like that; one long, beautiful conversation.