Venster met een staande figuur 1900 - 1903

This is a drawing by Antoon Derkinderen, probably made with graphite on paper, it’s like looking over the artist’s shoulder. The drawing contains studies and notes, a jumble of words and sketches, an open window in the artist’s mind. I can imagine the artist pondering over his ideas, making little thumbnail sketches, jotting down thoughts as they come. I wonder, was it a sunny day? He was preoccupied with light and shadow, about the sun, and there are biblical references mixed in with his own notes and figures. It’s like looking into the raw material of art-making. The little standing figure in the square reminds me of other artists like Philip Guston who used these abstracted forms and figures to make his own kinds of inquiries. All of us painters are standing on each other's shoulders. We’re in conversation, even across time, inspiring and building on each other's ideas. I love how Derkinderen embraces ambiguity and uncertainty here, allowing for multiple layers of meaning.