Studieblad c. 1916

Reijer Stolk made this study sheet with pen and pencil sometime during his lifetime. What strikes me is how Stolk allows us to peek into his process. He’s not precious; these are clearly just notes, quickly rendered on paper. I find myself drawn to the upper-left corner, where a cluster of organic shapes, rendered with varied cross-hatching, hint at a kind of inner world. The quick, decisive lines feel urgent, as if Stolk is trying to capture a fleeting thought or feeling before it disappears. There's a kind of frenetic energy in the mark-making, which is quite different from the softer, more delicate pencil lines in the other sketches. This reminds me of Cy Twombly, who also embraced the raw immediacy of drawing as a way to explore the subconscious. Ultimately, this piece reminds us that art is not just about the finished product, but about the journey of exploration and discovery.