Ruiters 1941

Willem van Konijnenburg made this drawing of riders using pencil and crayon. The colour palette is restrained, almost monochromatic, dominated by the sienna tones of the crayon, which speaks to a process of reduction and refinement. The material qualities of the piece are striking: the tooth of the paper, the soft, smudged edges of the crayon marks, and the delicate, almost tentative lines of the pencil. The crayon is applied in layers, building up a sense of depth and volume, particularly in the bodies of the horses. Look at how the strokes move in different directions, creating a dynamic, almost palpable sense of energy. The pencil lines, in contrast, are more precise, delineating the forms and adding a sense of structure. There’s a beautiful tension between these two modes of mark-making. This work has echoes of artists like Puvis de Chavannes, but with a more intimate, immediate feel. What do you think?