Compositiestudies van vissen in een aquarium 1876 - 1924

This is Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof’s ‘Composition Studies of Fish in an Aquarium’, made with graphite. Dijsselhof lived in a time of great cultural and societal change when the concept of identity became a popular topic for artists. Here, Dijsselhof does not offer a traditional, singular image. Rather, he gives us multiple perspectives of an aquarium teeming with life. These studies reveal the artist’s fascination with capturing not just the appearance, but the essence of movement and vitality. The fish, confined yet vibrant, might suggest the complex interplay between freedom and restriction, a theme deeply resonant with the fin-de-siècle anxieties about societal norms and individual expression. Dijsselhof challenges the traditional static representation, inviting us to consider the dynamic and multifaceted nature of both the natural world and our own identities. Through his detailed observation and sensitive rendering, Dijsselhof prompts us to reflect on the beauty and complexity of life, contained yet free-flowing.