Ontwerp voor een venster met twee voorstellingen van figuren in zeilboten 1900 - 1903

This drawing, ‘Ontwerp voor een venster met twee voorstellingen van figuren in zeilboten’ by Antoon Derkinderen, is rendered in pencil and crayon, probably as a sketch for a larger piece. The beauty of a preparatory sketch lies in its intimacy; we see the artist working through ideas, unafraid to leave the marks of their process visible. Derkinderen is unafraid to show us the workings of the piece. The composition is divided into two framed panels with a figure in a sailboat depicted in each. Both panels feature a loose application of blue crayon around the central images, but the rest is left as exposed linework on the page. Look closely and you’ll see the ghost of Derkinderen’s hand in the light pressure of his lines, which gives the piece a delicate, almost ethereal quality. It reminds me of Symbolist artists like Odilon Redon, who aimed to evoke emotional and spiritual states through their work. The piece is a lovely reminder that sometimes the most powerful art lies in the suggestion, not in the complete picture.