Hoofd van een man met een kuif c. 1916

Here we have Reijer Stolk’s 'Hoofd van een man met een kuif', a drawing of a man’s head made with graphite on paper. The drawing is made up of loose, gestural marks, with visible hatching and cross-hatching which gives the impression of a sketch, a fleeting impression. Look at the upper right head, and how the lines of the hair follow the curve of the head, a mass of marks that suggests form through density and direction. These marks overlap and intersect, building up the image bit by bit in a process of layering and refinement. The texture of the paper is also visible, giving the drawing a sense of depth and materiality. It puts me in mind of the work of Picasso, whose drawings also explore the interplay of line and form. Like Picasso, Stolk seems less concerned with capturing a likeness, and more interested in the act of seeing itself. He invites us to participate in that act, to piece together the image from its constituent parts, and to see the world in a new and different way.