Kerk en twee roeiboten 1866 - 1922

Willem Cornelis Rip made this sketch of a church and two rowboats with pencil on paper. The initial impression is one of simplicity. Rip uses a minimum of lines to convey a scene, focusing on the structural essence of the objects. The composition divides roughly into a foreground of boats and a background featuring a church. This is rendered with a delicate, almost ephemeral quality, as if capturing a fleeting moment. The use of line is economical, yet descriptive, outlining the forms without filling them in. This minimalist approach may reflect an interest in structuralism. Rip reduces the scene to its most basic components, inviting the viewer to complete the image with their own perception. The sketch engages with the semiotic idea that art can function as a system of signs. The rowboats, church, and even the suggestion of figures become signs that point beyond themselves to broader cultural meanings. Notice the rough, unfinished quality. It challenges traditional artistic values of perfection and completeness. Instead, Rip seems interested in the process of seeing and representing, suggesting that art is not about capturing reality, but about interpreting it.