Kop van een vrouw of meisje 1906 - 1945

Reijer Stolk made this drawing of a woman or girl, with a pencil, on paper. Look at these scratchy marks. See how they hover and coalesce to create a likeness. I can imagine Stolk's hand moving quickly, back and forth, over the page, trying to capture the essence of his sitter. There's something so intimate and vulnerable about a drawing like this, isn’t there? It's like we're catching a glimpse of the artist's thought process, the way he sees and interprets the world around him. The marks around her hair are particularly great, because they feel so unresolved. He doesn’t give us solid lines or clear shapes; instead, he leaves space for our imagination to fill in the gaps. You get a sense of the energy and dynamism of the act of drawing itself. It makes me want to grab a pencil and start sketching myself! This image reminds us that art is about embracing uncertainty, trusting our instincts, and allowing for happy accidents along the way.