Triomfbogen c. 1901

Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof made this study of triumphal arches on paper, probably as preparation for a larger work. The whole thing is on lined paper, like a page torn from a notebook, so there's something almost casual about it. You can see the artist mapping out his ideas, letting the composition emerge through a process of trial and error. The marks are pretty direct, no fussing, just a clear line describing a curve, a corner, or a shadow. The pencil isn't trying to be anything other than itself; it’s straightforward. Look how the arches are built up from simple geometric forms, cylinders and cubes stacked on top of each other. Then there’s this little flourish down by the base, like a curly tail. It reminds me a little of Hilma af Klint's architectural drawings: both use the language of geometry to explore higher-order concepts, ideas that transcend the purely visual. Ultimately, art is about conversations, dialogues across time and space, where meaning is never fixed but always in flux.