Portret van Willem Drees after 1950

This line portrait of Willem Drees, over there on the wall at the Rijksmuseum, is made from wire, bent and twisted into shape. It’s so cool to think of artmaking as a process of taking a line for a walk, which is exactly what this artist has done. Look closely and you'll notice how the wire has a real presence, a sculptural quality that plays with light and shadow. The artist uses a continuous line to construct the image, almost like a doodle in space. There's a lovely economy to the marks, creating a likeness with just a few essential lines defining the planes of his face, the shape of his glasses, the set of his jaw. I love how the medium informs the message. Think about Picasso’s line drawings, but in three dimensions! Ultimately, this work leaves you pondering the nature of portraiture itself and the way line alone can describe form and character.