Dambord 1906 - 1945

Reijer Stolk created this checkerboard drawing with pencil on paper. It’s all about process, isn’t it? The grid, those diagonal lines cutting through, and those little x's and scribbles… it’s like watching someone think, right there on the page. I mean, look at how the squares are filled in, some are darker, some lighter, like the artist was testing the weight of the pencil, the pressure, the possibilities. I love how raw and exposed the process is. There is no attempt to hide the hand of the artist. I think of Agnes Martin when I see this. Not in the style, but in the spirit – that quiet, meditative quality. It reminds us that art is a conversation, an ongoing exchange of ideas, and Stolk is right in the middle of it, pencil in hand, figuring things out.