Vier gieren 1919

Bernard Willem Wierink made this watercolor and graphite drawing of four vultures sometime around 1909. I can imagine him, carefully building up these birds, piece by piece. The soft graphite, the controlled washes of color, like a quiet meditation on form. There's a real sense of geometry in the feathers. It’s as if he’s trying to capture the essence of “vulture-ness” through shape and line. I wonder, was he thinking about earlier traditions of natural history illustration, or maybe even the graphic arts? It reminds me of other artists who have found beauty and structure in the natural world, like Dürer or even some of the more scientific-minded Surrealists. It’s like he's freezing a moment of observation, turning it into something iconic and timeless. Ultimately, it’s this combination of precision and feeling that makes the artwork so compelling. It’s a reminder that art is always a conversation, a way of seeing and interpreting the world around us, and then sharing that vision with others.