Waterrad en studies 1866 - 1922

Editor: Here we have "Waterrad en studies" (Water Wheel and Studies) by Willem Cornelis Rip, made sometime between 1866 and 1922. It's a pencil drawing on paper, and it feels incredibly immediate. It has that feeling of the artist quickly capturing what's in front of them, without a lot of fuss. What strikes you about this work? Curator: It feels like peeking into the artist's mind, doesn't it? Like stumbling upon a page torn from their personal sketchbook. These aren't finished pieces; they are glimpses of the world, captured with an urgency and an honesty that's rather charming. See how the water wheel is rendered, just the barest suggestion of form? It is like memory made visible. And next to it, what seems to be foliage, perhaps a riverside bank. What do you think Rip was hoping to capture? Editor: I think it's a way of documenting a fleeting moment, capturing the essence of the scene without getting bogged down in detail. Curator: Precisely. The incomplete nature of the drawing isn't a flaw; it's an invitation. It invites us to participate in the act of creation, to fill in the gaps with our own imaginations. It makes me think about what we choose to remember, what fragments stick with us. It’s beautifully imperfect, wouldn't you agree? Almost dreamlike in its ephemerality. Editor: I can see that. I originally thought it was incomplete but it creates something new. It leaves a sense of what it could have been. Thank you, I have really learned a lot looking at the artworks this way. Curator: My pleasure, there is poetry everywhere if we remember to keep our eyes – and hearts – open.