Staande vrouw in een baljurk c. 1916

Here's a graphite drawing of a standing woman in a ballgown by Reijer Stolk. The paper is almost as light as the graphite that delicately composes this figure. It's a sketch, so you can see the artist thinking through the image—correcting lines, finding her balance, and suggesting the voluminous skirt. The marks indicate the speed and curiosity of drawing. I wonder, what was Stolk thinking as the pencil hit the paper? It feels like he was interested in how to capture a pose, and the materiality of the gown. That repetitive X pattern on the dress, for example, implies texture and detail without laboriously describing every fold or embellishment. I feel like I can see echoes of Watteau and Fragonard in the way the drawing suggests light, and movement. It makes you wonder about the ongoing conversation between artists across generations. And it reminds me that every drawing or painting is a form of exchange, an opportunity to explore and interpret the world around us.