Roedel vossen aan een waterkant c. 1904 - 1906

Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof sketched 'Red Foxes at a Waterside' with pencil on paper. The composition feels playful and experimental, a glimpse into Dijsselhof's working process. Look closely, and you'll notice the paper itself, a warm, creamy tone, which gives the simple sketch a soft, intimate feel. The pencil lines are delicate, almost tentative, as if Dijsselhof is feeling his way around the subject. There's a beautiful sense of layering, especially in the depiction of the foxes, where lines overlap and intersect to create a sense of depth and movement. See how the artist captures their alertness. The whole piece reminds me a little of Henri Rousseau, that same directness and charm. It’s this kind of honest, unpretentious mark-making that really gets me going, a reminder that art doesn't always have to be slick or polished to be powerful.