Visarend vliegend boven een meer 1974

Hendrik J. Slijper made this image of an osprey flying over a lake, we don’t know when, but it’s really rather wonderful, isn’t it? Imagine Slijper working on this—the delicate brushstrokes, the controlled palette. It’s as though each feather was carefully considered, each stroke perfectly placed. You know, I always wonder what an artist is thinking when they are making something like this? Is Slijper thinking about form and light? Is he thinking about capturing the exact essence of the bird? Does he love birds, or is he more interested in technique, in the play of composition? I’m curious about the decision to place this image within a circle on a square. I'm interested in the way the circular form crops the image so that the bird flies into an imagined field of vision. He’s watching it, perhaps? Ultimately, this piece reminds us that painting, like life, is an ongoing exploration, a constant conversation between artists across time. We’re all just riffing off each other, trying to capture something elusive.