Wilson verdeelt de koek 1919

This drawing, called "Wilson verdeelt de koek," roughly translates to "Wilson Divides the Cake." I see it as a quick take, probably made with ink on paper by Willem van Schaik. It looks like the kind of drawing you might dash off when you’re trying to get at something bigger than just what’s in front of you. The whole thing feels urgent, like a visual shout. I'm drawn to how he uses line. It's scratchy and uneven, not trying to be perfect. It gives the piece a raw, almost frantic energy, mirroring the tense political climate it probably reflects. There is a lot of cross-hatching and varied line widths, which adds depth without shading. This reminds me of the work of George Grosz, who captured the unease of the Weimar Republic in Germany after the First World War. This piece by van Schaik, it doesn’t give us easy answers, but encourages us to ask uncomfortable questions. The beauty is in that unsettling conversation.