Uitgebloeide zonnebloemen 1912 - 1940

Dick Ket made this drawing of sunflowers, probably in the 1930s, with pencil on paper. What strikes me most is the delicate way he’s handled these drooping flower heads. They’re past their prime, hanging heavy, but there’s a real tenderness in the way he’s observed them. I can imagine Ket, carefully rendering each seed head, each wilting petal, maybe thinking about his own body; he suffered from a heart condition his whole life, and I wonder if he felt a connection with these fading blooms. There's an incredible vulnerability here, a quiet sense of mortality that echoes in his other still lifes and self-portraits. These exhausted sunflowers also remind me of Van Gogh’s paintings. It's like they are old friends, connected by a shared curiosity for the natural world and the human condition. Both painters embrace imperfection, finding beauty in decay and expressing something deeply personal through their work. They remind us that art is an ongoing conversation, and that each artist adds their unique voice to the chorus.