Twee vogels 1906 - 1945

Reijer Stolk made this drawing of two birds with a pencil on paper. It's a flurry of lines, a quick sketch, not belabored, it’s all about catching the fleeting essence of the birds. I can feel Stolk figuring it out as he goes, erasing and redrawing the same line, trying to get it just right. The birds are almost stick figures, stripped down to their most basic forms, but still somehow full of life and movement. I love the top bird, how the lines are almost angular, like the bird is about to take flight. Stolk’s style reminds me of other artists who were trying to capture the world around them in a new way, who were interested in movement and energy. It makes me think about how artists are always building on each other's ideas, pushing each other to see the world in new ways.