Palmboom, een olifant en een gekko c. 1916 - 1945

Reijer Stolk made this drawing of a palm tree, an elephant and a gecko, but we don’t know exactly when or with what! It’s a simple sketch, almost childlike in its execution, but there's a kind of innocent curiosity at play here. Look at the thinness of the lines, the way they barely graze the surface of the paper. It’s as if Stolk is tracing the outlines of his thoughts, letting his imagination run wild. Each element seems to float independently, untethered to any sense of perspective or scale. The elephant, with its simplified form and gentle curve of its trunk, exudes a quiet dignity, while the palm tree stands tall, its fronds reaching towards an unseen sky. And then there’s the gecko, caught in mid-scramble, its spindly limbs and watchful eye adding a touch of playful energy to the scene. This all reminds me a bit of Picasso's early sketches – that same sense of experimentation and a willingness to embrace the unexpected. It's like Stolk is saying, 'Here's what I see, here's what I imagine, and here's how I'm putting it all together, bit by bit.'