Studie 1906 - 1945

Reijer Stolk made this study with pencil on paper, and what strikes me is the beauty of its simplicity. You see, artmaking is often about process, and this study really emphasizes that. The pencil strokes are so clear, so direct. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the page. There is something really satisfying about the unshaded areas and the areas where the artist has used hatching to suggest form. Take a look at where the lines meet. Do you see how it creates a sense of depth and volume? It’s almost like the artist is carving the forms out of the paper. In some ways, the linear quality of the piece reminds me of Matisse's drawings, in its focus on the essential. Like Matisse, Stolk shows us that less can be more, and that the process of observation and mark-making can be just as important as the final product. It’s a conversation across time, really. The meaning of the work resides in the mark-making itself.