Studie van een linkerarm die een stok vasthoudt 1902

Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst made this study of a left arm holding a stick in 1902, probably with graphite on paper. The artist is trying to catch something so fleeting, a gesture in time. See how the arm bends and flexes, a study in anatomy. A single forceful outline describes the form of the arm, while subtle gradations of shading define the muscles. This allows us to feel the weight and tension in the arm as it grips the stick. I wonder, was Roland Holst working from life, perhaps with a model holding the pose for hours? Or was he trying to capture something from memory? The work reminds me of other artists that obsessively draw the body, for instance, Egon Schiele or Käthe Kollwitz. You can feel the influence of the old masters in the work. In art, we’re always in conversation with those that came before, building on their ideas and techniques. It is this back and forth, which spans across time, that keeps us innovating and creating.