Kostverlorenvaart in Amsterdam 1915

Rik Wouters made this pen drawing, Kostverlorenvaart in Amsterdam, with simple black lines on paper. When I look at this drawing, I see that Wouters is interested in something beyond faithful representation; it's more like he's mapping a feeling. The drawing's made up of this collection of quick, darting marks that capture the essence of the canal. Look at the water - the way he suggests ripples with just a few flicks of the pen. And then those clouds, more like playful scribbles, dancing across the sky. There's this incredible energy in the way he varies the weight and speed of his lines. Wouters was so concerned with capturing the immediacy of life, a quality he shared with other artists like Henri Matisse, who was interested in distilling form to its most expressive core. Like Wouters, these artists show us that art isn't about perfection; it's about process, energy, and feeling.