Vaas met bloemen 1919

This simplified line drawing of a vase of flowers was made by Reijer Stolk, a Dutch artist who died relatively young during the Second World War. It's hard to know what he was thinking, but maybe he just needed a quick break, a visual snack! The quickness of the hand is palpable. The petals are these simple shapes, like you might cut out of paper with a kid, and the vase is a wobbly set of stacked lines. But it all works! The drawing makes me think about how artists can find ways of seeing and marking that feels fresh, even when working from something so traditional as a vase of flowers. I like the intimacy of a drawing. It's a reminder that underneath all the grand statements, art begins in the hand, in the studio, in a quiet act of looking. It is about the artist’s sustained engagement with the world and how a deeply felt experience finds its form. Looking at this artwork inspires me to pick up a pencil and begin again.