Man met een map onder de arm 1874

Willem Cornelis Rip created this sketch of a man with a map under his arm, using graphite on paper. The texture of the paper supports the softness of the graphite, creating a slightly blurred effect that gives a sense of movement to the figure. Rip's marks, despite their simplicity, convey form and detail, from the man’s hat to the way he holds the map. The process of sketching, with its immediacy and intimacy, places us in the artist’s presence, almost as though we’re looking over his shoulder. There’s a directness in the medium here; the artist is not trying to create an illusion, but to capture a moment. Rip's choice of materials emphasizes the labor of his artistic practice, while it also challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft by prioritizing the process of making and the qualities of the materials he uses.