Zeilende boot c. 1905 - 1920

This sailing boat etching, by Willem Bastiaan Tholen, feels like a tender whisper from the past. Imagine him, pencil in hand, lightly caressing the paper, building up the image with delicate strokes. It’s not about bravado here, but a quiet observation. What was Tholen thinking as he rendered this scene? Maybe he was contemplating the simple act of sailing, the boat dancing across the water's surface. Or perhaps it was the serenity of the scene that he wanted to capture with these light touches. The texture he creates is almost dreamlike; the subtle variations in tone evoke the sea and sky. I particularly love how the pencil suggests movement—the sail filled with wind. The image almost feels alive, doesn’t it? I see echoes of Whistler’s understated elegance and a connection to the Impressionists' interest in capturing fleeting moments. Artists are always in conversation with each other, across time, riffing on ideas, finding new ways of seeing. It reminds us that art-making is an ongoing dialogue, with no single definitive statement.