Aquarium met waterplanten en kleurnotities 1876 - 1924

This pencil drawing of an aquarium with water plants and color notations was made by Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof, although the exact date is unknown. Dijsselhof was Dutch, and he lived from 1866 to 1924. The drawing is notable for its combination of naturalistic observation and abstract notation. We see the plants and forms of the aquarium, but Dijsselhof has also included handwritten notes about color. The Rijksmuseum is the Dutch national museum dedicated to art and history in Amsterdam. Dijsselhof’s choice of subject matter reflects the growing interest in the natural world. But his decision to include color notations in the image also speaks to the changing status of the art academy and the way art was taught. The work can be seen as a commentary on the artist's process, as well as the social structures of the art world at that time. As art historians, we must study the museum’s archives, and review any other documents that could shed light on the drawing’s original meaning.