Notities 1907

This small notebook page, filled with rapid notations by Willem Cornelis Rip, feels less like a finished artwork and more like a portal into the artist’s mind. I imagine him, charcoal in hand, quickly capturing fleeting ideas, calculations, and observations. I feel a real kinship with Rip here. Maybe he was figuring out the dimensions of a canvas, a formula for mixing colors, or simply jotting down reminders. See how the charcoal lines vary in thickness and pressure, creating a sense of urgency and immediacy. The layered numbers and words almost become abstract forms, echoing the textures and rhythms of daily life. There's a casual energy, like a painter preparing for the real work. It reminds me of Cy Twombly's scribbled paintings or even some of the chaotic notebook pages of Leonardo da Vinci. Artists are always in conversation with each other, across time and space, borrowing and riffing off each other's ideas. Each mark holds a question and a possibility. It’s not about perfection but about the messy, beautiful process of thinking and making.