Lopende vrouw met een voorwerp in haar linkerhand 1906 - 1945

Reijer Stolk made this drawing of a running woman with an object in her left hand sometime between 1910 and 1945. It’s just a pencil sketch, a simple, but energetic, outline on paper. What strikes me about this piece is the fluidity and the almost frantic energy conveyed through such minimal means. The lines are tentative, searching, as if the artist is trying to capture a fleeting impression, or perhaps the very essence of movement itself. There’s something quite raw and direct about the way the figure is rendered, with no attempt to smooth over the awkwardness of the pose. Look at the way the face is drawn, the mouth open in a shout, or maybe just gasping for air. It reminds me a bit of some of Picasso’s more frenetic sketches, but with a kind of nervous energy all its own. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t always have to be polished or perfect. Sometimes, the most powerful works are the ones that feel like they’re still in the process of becoming.