Studies 1919

Reijer Stolk made these studies with pencil on paper, and what strikes me first is the intimacy of the sketchbook page. The marks are tentative and exploratory, as if Stolk is thinking through the image as he draws. The texture of the paper is visible, which adds to the sense of immediacy. It feels like we're looking over the artist's shoulder, watching him work. There’s a figure crouched on the right page, the lines almost disappear in places as though Stolk is trying to work out the bare minimum needed to suggest a human form. The looseness of the sketch reminds me of drawings by Paula Modersohn-Becker, another artist who captured everyday life with a raw and honest approach. Like her, Stolk embraces the unfinished quality of the sketch, leaving it open to interpretation. It shows us that art is a process, not a product, an ongoing conversation.