Vaas met bloemen 1919

Reijer Stolk made this drawing of flowers in a vase, but we don't know when, or with what. You know, it's funny how the simplest things – flowers in a vase – can be so compelling. Looking at this piece, what strikes me is the tentativeness of the line. It's like Stolk is feeling his way around the forms, not quite sure of where he's going but open to whatever happens. The petals are these angular shapes, almost like paper cutouts, and the vase is just a few lines suggesting its form. And yet, there's a real sense of presence here, a feeling of intimacy with the subject. Maybe it's the way the lines wobble and break, reminding us of the artist's hand, or maybe it's the vulnerability of the sketch itself, laid bare on the page. It makes me think of Agnes Martin, whose work also finds so much in a whisper, not a shout. Art, after all, is just a conversation, and it can take so many forms.