Figuurstudie 1906

Reijer Stolk made this figure study with what looks like a blunt graphite stick or maybe charcoal. It’s all about process; you can see the hand moving, figuring it out. Look at the way he’s built the figure out of these raw, hatchy marks, almost like he’s carving space. It’s not about smoothness or polish; it's about the push and pull of the darks against the white of the paper. There is a beautiful tension between the parts that are overworked and the parts that are barely touched, lines drawn with an incredible energy. See the way the marks around the head just explode outwards? This piece reminds me of Picasso’s studies for Guernica, that same searching quality, that urgent need to capture something essential about the human form. And like Picasso, Stolk isn’t giving us answers, he’s opening up a space for us to ask questions. What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to see?