Voeten 1906 - 1945

Curator: The simple title of this pencil sketch is "Voeten," meaning "Feet" in Dutch, and was created sometime between 1906 and 1945 by Reijer Stolk. Editor: It's disarming in its simplicity, almost unfinished. The lightness of the pencil strokes gives it a sense of transience, like a fleeting thought captured on paper. Curator: Exactly. It feels like a study, a preliminary exploration rather than a finished portrait. Think about the social context then: art academies emphasizing figure drawing. Quick sketches like this were fundamental to artistic training. Editor: The humble foot, often overlooked, takes center stage. I wonder if Stolk intended to elevate the everyday or perhaps see the symbolic significance embedded in the mundane. Feet carry us through life, representing our journey, our grounding. Curator: Or it could have been mere practice. Regardless of his intentions, its realism suggests the broader trend in artistic style at the time that shifted to portraits of the physical world. It would be displayed at the Rijksmuseum today. What might the public have thought in the early to mid 20th century, before modernism exploded the canon? Editor: Perhaps viewers found beauty and interest in its detail, appreciating it for the precision of its anatomical study. Feet in classical sculptures can be admired for their aesthetic perfection, but the imperfections on display here reveal an inner humanness and a connection to the artist, seeing them learn in plain sight. Curator: And of course, it is that very ‘humanness,’ those traces of a fleeting moment in history that appeal to a contemporary audience looking at artwork today. It prompts you to pause and wonder. Editor: I think I will now.