De schelpenvisser 1904

Jan Toorop captured this shell fisherman with oil on canvas. Isn't it something how a pile of goo can become an idea, a vision? The material handling here is straightforward. Toorop makes no attempt to conceal the means of production; the brushstrokes are chunky and present. See how the impasto is thickest where the light hits the fisherman's shoulders? It's like he’s trying to catch the light, to make it solid. The shadow under the fisherman gives the piece some drama. A mix of blues and purples, it’s as solid as the man himself. Toorop was going through a post-impressionist phase, and you can see the influence of artists like Manet and the pointillist painter Seurat in his work at the time. But you also get a sense of something else, something unique to him. Ultimately, art is an ongoing discussion, where ideas and techniques are passed down and transformed.