Tuinierende man, op de rug gezien 1892 - 1916

Rik Wouters made this ink drawing of a gardener, seen from the back, at an unknown date. You can tell Wouters was in the zone while making it, he was totally feeling it. It’s all about the dance of the brush here. Look at how the ink pools and thins, creating this rhythm of dark and light, solid and airy. The shadow cast by the figure is just as present as the gardener himself, which makes this drawing, in a way, a double portrait. The bold, confident strokes remind me of Matisse. It's about capturing the essence of a figure with the fewest possible marks. There's a real conversation happening here, between Wouters and the artists who came before him. And maybe, between him and us too.