Zeilschip aangemeerd aan een kade, vermoedelijk in Enkhuizen 1900 - 1931

Willem Bastiaan Tholen made this pencil sketch of a sailboat docked in Enkhuizen. Look at the marks, how the shading is built up with layers of hatching, a bit like a woodcut. It's all about process here, the working of the pencil on the paper, like he's thinking through the scene, letting it unfold. The dog, it's almost abstract, like a dark flame against the lighter strokes around it. The texture in this section is almost furry. It creates a focal point. The drawing captures a moment, that fleeting quality of everyday life, like a snapshot. The dog anchors us in the present. It reminds me of some of Bonnard's quick notebook sketches. Both had a similar talent for seeing beauty in the ordinary, and capturing it on paper, without overworking it. Art isn’t about answers, it's about starting conversations, don’t you think?