Straat met een brug over een kanaal, vermoedelijk in Enkhuizen 1900 - 1931

Curator: Willem Bastiaan Tholen created this compelling sketchbook drawing, titled "Straat met een brug over een kanaal, vermoedelijk in Enkhuizen," sometime between 1900 and 1931. Editor: The overall tonal quality of this sketchbook drawing gives it a remarkably intimate, immediate quality, capturing something beyond just the streetscape, wouldn't you say? Curator: Indeed. It offers us a window into Tholen’s observational practices. These personal sketchbooks were quite common among Impressionist artists as sources for later works, allowing for experimentation without the constraints of formal exhibition. Editor: Notice how the hatching and cross-hatching create depth and shadow, particularly on the right-hand side of the composition. I find the immediacy and rawness of the sketch utterly charming, revealing the underlying architecture of form. Curator: Absolutely. Tholen was very interested in the modernization and growth of Dutch cities and often sketched scenes in towns such as Enkhuizen. The sketches capture his interests in the shifting dynamics between city dwellers and architecture within a time of considerable social change. Editor: But look how deliberately he composes the urban space, focusing on contrasts between light and shadow, straight architectural lines and flowing forms. He seemed captivated by geometric arrangements. Curator: He was indeed, using these quick sketches to test out approaches for formalizing these fleeting impressions. Editor: Seeing his quick and expressive lines and mark making really highlights his compositional method. And on that left page it shows a lighter application, which feels spontaneous but thoughtful. Curator: Sketches like these illuminate Tholen's engagement with urban development and its human dimensions at a critical juncture in Dutch society, revealing a more personal layer beyond his polished, public artworks. Editor: Well, exploring the work has certainly sharpened my focus on its technical qualities; it truly reflects an analytical yet playful encounter with space.