Figuur op een golfbreker 1919 - 1921

Willem Cornelis Rip made this drawing called 'Figuur op een golfbreker' with graphite, rapidly mapping an impression of a figure on a breakwater. Look at how Rip uses a flurry of marks to suggest the forms of the breakwater. There's a real freedom in the directness of his lines, like he's thinking through drawing. The textured hatching on the left side gives way to softer, more blurred lines as the composition fades away on the right. It’s not about precision but more like a feeling, an attempt to capture something fleeting. The vertical lines on the left edge suggest a kind of frame. Are we inside or outside? There's an intimacy to the piece, like we're peering in on a private moment. Rip is like Whistler in this respect, they share a focus on tonal qualities and a love for the immediacy of sketching. For both of them, the process of artmaking feels more important than the finished work. It’s about embracing uncertainty and the beauty of the unfinished.