Notitie over Venus 1900 - 1903

Editor: This is "Notitie over Venus" by Antoon Derkinderen, created between 1900 and 1903. It's a drawing in ink, and what strikes me most is its sparseness. It feels like a whisper of an idea, barely there. What do you make of it? Curator: A whisper, exactly! I think that hits the mark beautifully. To me, it feels like catching a fleeting thought, pinning it down before it vanishes completely. Imagine Derkinderen, pen in hand, chasing this elusive vision of Venus...What’s she about to say? Or has already said, a moment ago, when she crossed my way? It reminds me of those old maps, where they’d mark unexplored territories with "Here be dragons". It’s not a finished portrait, but a signpost pointing toward the vast, unknown landscape of beauty itself. The beauty *we* make, through longing! Do you get that? Editor: I think so! So it's less about capturing Venus literally, and more about the artist's...quest? For understanding beauty, maybe? Curator: Absolutely. The pen becomes his divining rod, seeking out not the object of beauty, but the *idea* of it, the feeling, the echo in the soul. He’s after that fragile, ephemeral moment when beauty sparks in the mind’s eye. That, to me, is where the real magic lies. The imperfection becomes the very thing, perfect. And is she really talking Dutch, by the way? Editor: It’s fascinating how unfinished art can be so evocative. It really makes you think about the process and intention behind the piece. Curator: Indeed. And you start sketching things you remember.