Dreestrekker. 1950

This small wooden sculpture, called "Dreestrekker," has been carved by an anonymous artist. I'm already wondering, what did the artist want to say, what were they thinking? Look at the way the figure is so contained within the wood. Every cut of the chisel reveals the artist's hand and the way the wood has been shaped to bring the figure of this man into being. It feels like a long process of discovery, of revealing what was already there, hidden inside the wood. There is a quiet dignity in the simple lines of the form. This is not an attempt to show off technical skill or virtuosity but rather a meditation on what it means to be human. This feels like a conversation between the artist and the material, a quiet exchange across time.