Vliegerende mannen 1885 - 1931

Willem Bastiaan Tholen made this drawing on paper, and it's a whirlwind of marks, a flurry of lines capturing figures in motion, like a dance sketched in graphite. I imagine Tholen out in the field, squinting in the sun, quickly trying to capture what he sees on the page. What must he have been thinking, sketching these kite flyers? Was he trying to catch the fleeting moment, the joy of seeing figures and kites soaring? There's a vulnerability to the line, a sense of openness, as though the artist is thinking aloud. It reminds me of Cy Twombly's work, but less grand, more intimate, like a private conversation with the wind. Tholen's figures are not fixed, they're alive with possibility. It speaks to the idea that art isn't about answers, but about the questions we ask along the way.