Liggende naakte vrouw 1923

Reijer Stolk made this etching of a reclining nude woman sometime between 1910 and 1945. I love how the body emerges from a delicate matrix of lines. I imagine Stolk hunched over his plate, scratching away with a fine needle, thinking hard about the relationship between line and form. Just a few strokes to suggest the swell of a breast, the curve of a hip. It’s all about suggestion here, the power of understatement. Look at how he uses hatching to create areas of shadow, giving depth and volume to the figure. And notice how the lines vary in weight and direction, creating a sense of movement and energy. The line that defines her thigh is so confident. It really makes you believe in her solidity. Stolk was part of a generation of artists grappling with new ways of seeing and representing the human form. He was in conversation with artists like Matisse and Picasso, who were pushing the boundaries of figuration. Artists build on each other’s ideas. Each artwork is a stepping stone in an ongoing exchange.