Man met uitgestrekte arm 1969

Curator: Well, this ink drawing is quite something, isn’t it? "Man met uitgestrekte arm," or "Man with outstretched arm," as we'd say in English. Created in 1969 by Rein Dool. What do you make of it? Editor: It's...striking. The composition feels strangely unbalanced, yet somehow deliberate. The black pillar on the left, contrasting with the lighter figure, it’s stark. I immediately see symbols, archaic figures. Curator: I feel that starkness too. There's a certain austerity in Dool’s abstraction. A bit haunting, if you ask me. It reminds me of childhood dreams – playful, yet unsettling. The figure, with the exaggerated arm and that disembodied eye hovering…almost surreal. Editor: Yes, the floating eye is loaded. In many traditions, the eye represents knowledge, perception, even divine presence. And the spheres he’s juggling, their geometric divisions remind me of alchemical symbols, like diagrams of cosmic order. This feels like a very private iconography. Curator: It really does. It's not the most obvious symbolism, but his language of abstraction carries meaning, somehow. I wonder about his state of mind while drawing, how this sort of free-association of forms would flow onto paper... Editor: Perhaps an exploration of control and chaos. The man’s arm outstretched, seemingly manipulating these spheres, yet the eye floats freely, unattached. And what’s he feeding it? What kind of seeing is it encouraging? Is that knowledge or just empty input? The circular symbols appear in his head and hand: so knowledge travels from the hand that manipulates objects and feeds directly in the body like in some ritual or performance... Curator: It’s that playful side coming through in your interpretation I like it... there’s a childlike quality in his willingness to piece together an abstract figure almost like assembling a collage of visual references... He also takes elements that might feel cold and geometrical to make it weirdly relatable! Editor: True, and consider the date: 1969. Social upheaval, technological advancements. All influencing Dool’s subconscious. This outstretched arm...is he reaching for something, or pushing it away? Curator: Or is it, perhaps, a gesture of offering? An open hand presenting his personal iconography to the viewer? Regardless, I feel it’s a complex work which seems simplistic. So raw and untamed... it grows on you! Editor: Absolutely. The work leaves us with so much to unravel... It makes one contemplate the hidden languages we all use to navigate the world, doesn't it?