Cacaoboom c. 1916 - 1945

Reijer Stolk made this drawing, titled Cacaoboom, with what looks like a graphite pencil. Isn't it great? I love seeing the way artists start, the bare bones, the initial idea, like a secret peek into their mind at work. It's really pared-down, almost diagrammatic, but there’s a loveliness in the simplicity. Look at the different weights of the lines, some tentative, some more sure. Near the top, you can see the artist has written notes about the cacao tree. The composition feels immediate, a quick impression, but those outlines so delicately describe the forms of the cacao pods. It reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin's drawings, that similar quietness and that sense of just enough, but not too much. Art’s a conversation, isn’t it? Always someone picking up where someone else left off, and adding their own little twist, their own way of seeing. Anyway, I hope this drawing gives you some food for thought, maybe even inspires you to grab a pencil and have a go yourself!