Detailstudies van vissen, met kleurnotities 1876 - 1924

Editor: This drawing, "Detailstudies van vissen, met kleurnotities" by Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof, was made sometime between 1876 and 1924. It's essentially a page of fish sketches, in pencil, seemingly quick studies with little color notes jotted down. It has the loose and airy feel of something straight from the artist’s sketchbook. What’s your take on it? Curator: Well, first off, doesn't it make you think about how much we try to capture, to hold onto fleeting glimpses of the world? I imagine Dijsselhof, perhaps by a canal, quickly sketching these fish, trying to grasp their form and hues. The "kleurnotities"—color notes—are especially telling, aren't they? It's more than just scientific observation; it’s about feeling the color, that shimmering quality, almost poetic. Do you see how the sketchiness allows us to see the artist's mind at work? Editor: Definitely! I love that you describe the shimmering, fleeting quality of the work. Is it unusual to have these color notes in sketchbooks from this period? Curator: Not entirely, especially for artists interested in naturalism or impressionism. But here, the personal touch—the somewhat frantic energy of the lines, the way the fish aren't perfectly rendered, almost like memories—that's what makes it sing. You know, it reminds me of trying to catch a dream right after waking up, that feeling of holding something that’s already slipping away. Editor: That's a lovely way to put it. The idea of catching a dream—or a fish—in a sketchbook! Curator: Precisely! And it makes me wonder, what other dreams were swimming in Dijsselhof's mind when he made this? Perhaps, the drawing holds clues that will keep us guessing long after we’ve turned away.