Picture post card 1945

This small postcard by Sikko van der Woude is a gem of dry wit and simple mark-making. You can imagine the artist with his pen or brush, carefully outlining each figure, filling them in with flat, muted colors. The image itself is a playful paradox: a military jeep wading through water, while a fisherman sits by the side, nonchalantly casting his line. What was he thinking when he made it? The thin lines and smooth surfaces give it a clean, almost graphic feel, like a cartoon strip. The Dutch flag on the jeep, the fisherman’s traditional garb – these details root the image in a specific place and identity, yet the scene itself is surreal. I think artists often speak to each other in a symbolic language, and this scene feels both familiar and strange, as if it’s telling a joke that only painting knows how to tell.