Duchesse d'Angouleme-peren 1920 - 1924

Jac van Looij made this drawing of pears, probably in the late 19th or early 20th century, with chalk or charcoal on paper. The marks are soft and smudgy, creating a sense of atmosphere around the fruit. What strikes me is the way the artist has built up the image. The pears aren't sharply defined, but emerge from a haze of lines and tones. The drawing feels like a process of searching and discovery, where the forms gradually materialize from the ground. Look at the leaves in the bottom right corner: see how the artist uses overlapping lines to create a sense of depth and volume. Van Looij's subtle gradations of tone remind me of some of Odilon Redon’s charcoal drawings. Both artists share a similar interest in capturing the ephemeral qualities of light and shadow. Art isn’t about perfectly capturing a subject, but about exploring its essence through the act of drawing.