Portret van Bouke Ylstra before 1978

Rein Dool made this portrait of Bouke Ylstra in ink on paper. It's a quick, economical drawing, where the bare minimum of marks conjure a whole person. I love that! It’s like Dool is thinking aloud with his pen. Check out how Dool uses line—it's scratchy in some places, confident in others, and almost disappears in areas like the sitter's left shoulder. It gives you the sense that Dool is circling his subject, trying to capture a likeness but also a feeling, an essence. The lines around the eyes and mustache are particularly rich, creating depth and character. This piece makes me think of other portraitists like Alice Neel. While their styles are distinct, both artists share an ability to get to the heart of their subjects with disarming directness. Ultimately, art isn’t about perfect representation, it’s about the ongoing conversation between the artist, the subject, and us, the viewers.