Kapiteel met een hoofd met bladertooi 1877 - 1880

Editor: So, here we have "Capital with a head with foliage", a pencil drawing on paper done between 1877 and 1880 by Jac van Looij. It looks like a study of a classical architectural detail. I’m really struck by how delicate and tentative the lines are...almost ghostly. What catches your eye when you look at this? Curator: Ghostly, yes! It's like looking at a memory of a carving. What captivates me is that contrast between the ephemeral medium of pencil on paper and the monumental, permanent subject matter. Think about the weight and solidity of stone, the permanence intended for these architectural elements, then consider this fragile translation. Do you feel like there's a dialogue happening there, between the hand of the artist and the imposing history of the subject? Editor: Absolutely, now that you point it out! It's like he's trying to capture something solid, something weighty, with the most fleeting of means. The quick strokes almost feel like he’s trying to catch the essence of it before it disappears. Why choose pencil over, say, charcoal for this study? Curator: Ooh, that's a fabulous question! Charcoal is immediate, bold. Pencil allows for correction, refinement, that subtle dance of light and shadow. Van Looij isn't just copying the form; he's investigating it, isn't he? Pencil is his tool for thought. Notice how he layers the lines, building up the form slowly. It reminds me of handwriting or even cartography... mapping a landscape, bit by bit. It is like Van Looij dissecting, analyzing his subject with precision, layer upon layer! What a beautiful mind. Editor: It's interesting how such a preliminary sketch can be so revealing. It makes me wonder what he was thinking as he was drawing. Curator: Precisely! And isn't that the magic? This sketch, seemingly just a record, becomes a portal into the artist's process.