Straat met een kerktoren 1885 - 1931

Willem Bastiaan Tholen sketched "Straat met een kerktoren" using graphite on paper, creating a composition dominated by linear forms. The stark lines and sparse details evoke a sense of urban emptiness, challenging traditional landscape art. The composition is structured around the skeletal representation of buildings and a church tower, sketched with minimal strokes. This reduction to essential lines emphasizes the underlying structure rather than surface appearances. Tholen appears to be deconstructing the visual reality into its most basic geometric components. The lines barely suggest a scene, prompting viewers to actively engage in constructing meaning from the rudimentary forms. Tholen’s sketch is not merely a depiction but a meditation on form and perception. It invites us to reconsider how we interpret space and architecture through the lens of abstraction and essential form. This piece exists as a site for ongoing interpretation, reflecting the evolving dialogue between art and observer.