Studies van glas-in-lood en interieur voor het schilderij van de Nederlandse rechtbank in Londen, juni 1942. Possibly 1942 - 1946

Anton Abraham van Anrooy made this study of stained glass and interior for a painting of the Dutch Law Court in London in June 1942. It's amazing to me to see how an artist works through a painting. The paper is filled with tentative lines, trying to capture the light, the details of a chandelier, a judge. There are little notes, maybe to remind him of a color or a detail. It’s all about the process, the act of seeing and translating that onto paper. Check out the stained glass on the left side – the hesitant blocks of color, the architectural details. You can almost feel him figuring out how to represent the weight and texture of the glass. It reminds me of Manet's sketches, the way he would work out compositions and figures before committing to the final painting. Both artists invite us into their way of thinking about form. For both, it’s less about perfect representation, and more about the joy of exploration.