Cactussen 1906 - 1945

Reijer Stolk made "Cactussen," this etching, sometime between 1910 and 1945. He works with a very limited palette, a kind of silvery grey. I love this, it's like he's trying to find all the tones in a single colour. The cacti are rendered with such delicate lines and it’s interesting how Stolk varies his mark-making. Some lines are so thin, they're barely there, while others have a scratchy, almost agitated quality. This gives a real sense of depth and texture to the prickly plants. Look at the way the needles are drawn on the round cactus in the middle. They burst out in a radial pattern, creating an almost halo effect. This halo effect reminds me of some of the drawings by Gustav Klimt. Both artists share this interest in the power of line, using it to convey both the physical form and an almost mystical presence. It's a reminder that art is always in conversation with itself, with artists borrowing, responding, and reimagining ideas across generations.