Studies 1874 - 1875

Curator: So, here we have Willem Cornelis Rip’s "Studies," created around 1874 to 1875, a watercolour and drawing on paper. Editor: At first glance, it feels incredibly faint, like a half-forgotten dream captured on paper. The almost ghostly quality creates an immediate sense of intrigue. Curator: Exactly. As an artist, when I look at pieces like this, I feel like I am watching somebody work through their thinking process, feeling out the composition and form, not wanting to commit too much too quickly. Editor: It is almost like a palimpsest of ideas, one layered on top of the other. I find myself wondering what sort of imagery Rip was circling in his mind. It calls to mind the idea of the "proto-image" in our minds, the half-formed things that come before conscious creation. Do you get a sense of any repeated forms or shapes, artistically? Curator: Well, given the Impressionistic style of the artist, the studies might point toward a work he's perhaps struggling to see; what I do see, with the hints of colours, is an underlying luminosity, waiting for full capture, it's all anticipation! Editor: The lack of firm outlines encourages that anticipation. I almost feel like I am supposed to fill in the blanks, to finish the piece myself in my mind. Curator: Which may be exactly what the artist intended for his viewers to do with this "Studies" work. What’s interesting is that these very loose sketches demand us to use our own minds, in order to see more of the artist’s creation than what's in front of us. Editor: Yes! It also forces me to consider what "finish" even means in art. Is a work less valuable or evocative because it isn’t traditionally “complete”? Curator: Not at all, this incomplete and very simple-looking work is far more attractive than it seems; such drawings or sketches carry such significant conceptual loads... that is what remains from his mental activity when seeing and thinking... This approach enables viewers to co-create while they admire his paintings. Editor: Beautifully put. I think this work helps us remember that art isn't just about the final product, but the process and the ideas behind it, too. Thank you. Curator: You're welcome, these traces and clues left behind may just lead one of us into art ourselves.