Studie c. 1901

This Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof study is a great example of artmaking as a process, right? The artist uses a pencil to create this image on paper. It’s all about the hand, the eye, and the movement. The marks are so light and airy, almost like he’s barely touching the surface, the texture of the paper becomes part of the image. It reminds me of those exercises we used to do in art school, just trying to capture the essence of a form with as few lines as possible. I’m drawn to the vertical lines on the right – they look like a series of dashes. They create a sense of rhythm and repetition. Dijsselhof reminds me a little of Hilma af Klint who was working at a similar time, exploring abstract forms. Art is a never-ending conversation across time. This piece embraces ambiguity, it is a reminder that art doesn't always have to be about fixed meanings.