Planken c. 1901

This is a page from a sketchbook by Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof, rendered in pencil. The eye is immediately drawn to the interplay between the raw surface of the paper and the deliberate marks upon it. Dijsselhof employs line and text to explore ideas of form and dimension; the annotations suggest considerations of scale and proportion integral to the structural design. We can see that the artist is engaged in a visual dialogue between the geometric potential of the plank and its textural qualities. The page is not merely a record but a performative space where the act of planning and designing intersects. The sketches and notations serve as an early step in the evolution of a design concept. The tension between the precision of measurement and the relative freedom of the artist's sketch is palpable. This interplay reflects the broader artistic concerns of Dijsselhof's time, where the rational and the expressive sought a harmonious balance.