Courtois voor koning Nobel 1866 - 1939

Bernard Willem Wierink made this drawing called ‘Courtois for King Nobel’ with watercolor and graphite, around 1890, probably as an illustration. Look at the big lion’s face, emerging from the dark background, and his expression is not so fierce. His big paws, the smaller dog, and the upright animals all seem to be on the same plane, like a stage set. You can see the artist is trying things out, correcting lines, and allowing the pencil marks to remain visible. It’s a fascinating blend of careful planning and intuitive mark-making. I imagine Wierink, alone in his studio, figuring this out, responding to the story, and trying to give each character its own presence. The surface has a kind of built-up texture, with layers of graphite, ink, and watercolor. The lines are so deliberate, each one carefully placed to create depth and form. Maybe Wierink was thinking about the other illustrators, like Walter Crane, and how they use line and color to tell a story. There is an ongoing conversation between illustrators and artists across time, as each generation builds on the ideas of those who came before, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, and allowing for multiple interpretations.