Decoratieve patronen en een schildpad c. 1916 - 1945

This energetic page of studies by Reijer Stolk is a kind of playground for the eye. I imagine Stolk’s pencil dancing across the paper, as he explores pattern and form, maybe doodling while he's on the phone or letting his mind wander. There's a star-like form that morphs into a snail, a turtle with geometric markings on its shell, and some architectural details. Look at the linear marks, tentative yet confident, searching for a way to resolve the image. He’s probably thinking about ornament, how it relates to nature, to architecture, to the wider world. The act of drawing is a way of thinking for Stolk, a way of seeing what might emerge from the simple act of mark making. He’s not fixed on perfection, just the joy of seeing what comes next. We see how artists are in an ongoing conversation through time, inspiring one another’s creativity. It embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.