Hoofd van een man met een bril c. 1916

Reijer Stolk made this drawing, Head of a Man with Glasses, with pencil on paper. I can almost see the artist, can’t you? Hunched over, squinting, trying to capture the essence of this bespectacled man in just a few strokes. The lines are so scratchy and frenetic, especially around the hair, like the artist was in a real hurry or maybe uncertain. I feel for him, I know that feeling. Look how the lines thicken to create shadows under the man’s brow and along the side of his nose. It’s like Stolk is using the pressure of the pencil to sculpt the face, giving it form and depth. And those glasses! Just a few quick flicks, but they completely define the character. It reminds me of some of the early modernist portraitists, who were trying to capture not just a likeness, but something about the person’s inner life. It’s like Stolk is asking, "How can I convey everything with just the bare minimum?" He’s in conversation with other artists who have asked the same questions. It’s an ongoing conversation between artists, inspiring each other.