Aanmerende vissersboot bij een kade, mogelijk in Enkhuizen 1900 - 1931

Curator: This pencil and pen sketch is entitled "Aanmerende vissersboot bij een kade, mogelijk in Enkhuizen" which translates to "Landing fishing boat at a quay, possibly in Enkhuizen" by Willem Bastiaan Tholen. It’s estimated to have been made sometime between 1900 and 1931. What’s your first impression? Editor: Stark, yet somehow serene. The limited palette and the rawness of the sketch emphasize form. Note how the stark vertical lines give way to a quieter horizon. Curator: Indeed, but look closer. It's not just about the composition. Tholen's piece offers insight into the fishing industry of the time. The tools, the type of boat; the drawing hints at the labour involved in the day-to-day lives of these workers, offering visual access to this labor. Editor: Interesting, and yet for me, the composition overshadows any sort of socio-historical narrative. The placement of the horizon line divides the image, creating visual tension. Observe how he uses repetitive marks for depth; the visual language speaks clearly of realism and impressionism. Curator: But doesn't the fact that it’s just a sketch, an accessible medium made on paper, itself tell a story about the artist and his subject? Pencil was cheap and readily available to the commoners and that informs its value. The everyday-ness becomes central. Editor: The medium surely lends immediacy. But I read the image’s strength as how its form transcends that. It presents an intriguing use of negative space, guiding your eyes around the whole. There’s an emphasis on structure and the contrast of light and shadow despite its apparent sketchiness. Curator: Perhaps it's the tension between those elements that makes it so captivating. Tholen gives us a slice of life embedded within an interesting formal composition, a blend that elevates both form and context. Editor: Well said, this exercise has opened my eyes further to the beauty within. Curator: Mine as well. I appreciate the new understanding.