Gestileerde bloem en een zittende kat c. 1901

Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof rendered "Stylized Flower and Sitting Cat" in graphite. The arrangement of forms on lined paper brings a visual echo of a notebook sketch, offering an intimate glimpse into the artist's process. The composition is divided into three distinct spatial zones. At the top, a geometric flower form is made up of carefully drawn circles, with precise lines connecting them. This stylized flower contrasts with the looser rendering of the cat below, whose presence is captured with varying tones and suggestive shading. The lines of the notebook paper cut across the composition creating structure, and the sketch-like quality implies a kind of visual note-taking, an exploration of form and representation. Dijsselhof seems to destabilize the traditional hierarchy between study and finished artwork, by presenting a piece that is both provisional and complete. The drawing functions aesthetically and philosophically as it invites us to reconsider the value we place on the spontaneous gesture in art.