Stoel en vazen c. 1916

Reijer Stolk made this drawing of a chair and vases with pencil on paper, but we don’t know exactly when. The light blue lines suggest a process of searching, of feeling out the forms and their relationships to one another. I always find sketches so appealing, you know, because they let you in on the artist’s thought process. It feels like you’re right there with them, trying to figure things out. Look at the way the lines vary in thickness and pressure, almost like he's mapping the weight and volume of the objects. The chair, with its elegant curves and sturdy legs, has a certain presence. There’s this dance between representation and abstraction that keeps it interesting, like a conversation rather than a declaration. It reminds me a little of Matisse’s drawings – that same lightness of touch, that same sense of joy in the simple act of looking and recording. Art is a conversation across time, an ongoing exchange of ideas. And sometimes, the most profound statements are whispered, not shouted.