Drie schapen 1906 - 1945

Reijer Stolk made this drawing of three sheep with pencil on paper. Look at how the lines seem to just appear on the page, floating and tentative, like he's coaxing them into being. I imagine Stolk quickly sketching, trying to capture the essence of these sheep, their woolly forms, and the way they cluster together. See how the lines aren’t precious? They’re just there to figure out the shapes. They overlap and sometimes even disappear! It’s like he’s thinking through the pencil, letting it wander and explore. The sheep, they look like they're having a bad hair day, don't they? But there is an elegance in how Stolk reduced them to these simple lines. It reminds me of other artists who use drawing to understand the world, to get to the heart of what they’re seeing. It's like they’re inviting us to see with them, to feel the weight of the sheep, the texture of their fleece, and their quiet, peaceful presence.