Brug over een kanaal in Enkhuizen 1900 - 1931

Willem Bastiaan Tholen made this graphite drawing, Bridge over a canal in Enkhuizen, at an unknown date. I can imagine Tholen hunched over his sketchbook, rapidly capturing the essentials of this Dutch scene. It's like he’s saying, "I have to get this down before the light changes." The lines are tentative, searching, but full of energy. You can almost feel the breeze off the canal. I wonder if he labored over whether to include the tree on the left. It’s a big, scribbled mass of foliage. The bridge itself is rendered with quick, decisive strokes. I appreciate the honesty of this approach. It reminds me of my own drawing practice. This work strikes me as a private moment with the artist, an intimate glimpse into his way of seeing. And it's these conversations through art-making that keep us all connected, influencing and inspiring each other across time and space.