Zeilschepen 1900 - 1931

Willem Bastiaan Tholen made this sketch of sailboats with graphite on paper. I can just imagine the artist sitting by the water’s edge with a sketchbook in their lap, trying to capture the essence of the boats bobbing on the waves. There’s a real sense of movement in those lines, as if the sails are billowing in the wind. The artist has used simple, pared-down lines to make what feels like a really complete image. It makes you think, what did it feel like to be there, on that day? Tholen was part of a group of Dutch artists who were really interested in capturing everyday life in the Netherlands. I see a kinship here with other painters like James McNeill Whistler who were using a similar impressionistic approach. The interesting thing about the act of looking and drawing and painting, is that it embodies the idea of exchange of ideas. Each mark is a kind of intention. Each painting is a philosophical proposition.