Stilleven met een globe, wijnfles, glas en doosje c. 1916

This is Reijer Stolk's 'Stilleven met een globe, wijnfles, glas en doosje', a graphite on paper sketch, now at the Rijksmuseum. It's like a whisper of a drawing, more of a suggestion than a statement. The network of lines, how they cluster and then dissipate, shows the hand of someone working something out. It's about a process, seeing how the globe sits with the wine bottle, the glass, and that little box. Notice how the density of the graphite in the lower left really anchors the composition, while the upper rectangle of the sketch floats free. It reminds me of Philip Guston's late work, how he used simple forms to convey complex ideas about history and existence. What I love about a drawing like this is that it’s not about answers, it’s about a way of seeing, of thinking through line. And that's something we can all relate to, right? The beauty of art is in the questions, not the answers.