Ornament met vier vissen c. 1901

Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof made this drawing called "Ornament met vier vissen" with graphite on paper. It's a super playful piece, right? You can almost feel Dijsselhof working out the design in real time. The graphite is soft and smudgy, and the lines vary in thickness. What I love is how the texture of the paper shows through. It’s not overworked or fussy, just raw and direct. The four fish, the little circles like a necklace, and the rectangles like stacks of wood, all float within the sketchy border. Look closely, and you can see the artist’s hand, the pressure of the pencil, the way it glides and sometimes hesitates. There's a real sense of discovery, like he's figuring it out as he goes. Dijsselhof was part of the Dutch Symbolist movement, so this piece might relate to their interest in decorative arts and nature. It reminds me of some of Hilma af Klint's early drawings, where she was also exploring abstract forms and spiritual ideas. Ultimately, this drawing is about embracing the unexpected and finding beauty in the process.