Stoelen en schaakstukken c. 1901

This is Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof’s sketch, "Chairs and Chess Pieces," rendered on paper with pencil. It shows a series of chairs and chess pieces that initially strike one as a simple study. Yet, the composition is subtly unsettling. The chairs appear in stark, angular lines, creating a sense of depth with a flattened perspective. The chess pieces, scattered around the chairs, introduce a playful yet strategic element. The sketch challenges our perception of space. The furniture and game pieces exist in an undefined environment. The deliberate placement of each object suggests an underlying structure, a semiotic system where chairs and chess pieces aren’t merely objects but signs within a broader cultural dialogue. Dijsselhof invites us to question the familiar, to see beyond the immediate representation, and to engage with the deeper structures that shape our understanding of the world.