Trekpaard dat uit een bak eet c. 1904 - 1912

Ferdinand Oldewelt made this drawing of a workhorse eating from a trough, using what looks like graphite on paper. You know, I love a drawing like this because it’s all about the artist figuring things out. Check out the different line weights – thick, thin, broken, continuous. It’s like Oldewelt is thinking aloud with his pencil, not trying to be perfect, but just trying to capture the essence of the horse. There’s a real energy in that process, right? I feel the weight of the horse through these marks, the way the lines suggest form and shadow without getting bogged down in details. Look at the way the lines around the horse’s head are more defined than those around its hindquarters. It’s not about photographic accuracy, but about drawing our attention to where the action is, to the moment of eating. It reminds me a little of Daumier, that same interest in the everyday. For me, art is all about embracing the sketch, the imperfect, the unfinished, and seeing where it takes you.