Hoofd van Boeddha 1943

Reijer Stolk made this Buddha’s head from black ink and gold paint. I imagine that it was made intuitively, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and the artist’s hand. I sympathize with Stolk and wonder what it might have been like to create this. Maybe he was thinking about the texture and color of the Buddha's face, how it would feel to touch. The paint is not too thick, not too thin. Just right. The black outline around the face is a great gesture—it communicates the feeling of calm intention. It reminds me a little of other modern artists who engage with folk art or non-Western traditions like Gauguin or even Matisse and Picasso. Artists are always in conversation, exchanging ideas across time. This piece embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations, each of us bringing our own unique perspectives to it.