Zeven schelpen 1942

Reijer Stolk made this etching, Zeven schelpen (Seven Shells), at some point in his short life. I just love the tonal richness and the variety of textures that Stolk coaxes from the etching process; it reminds me that an artist always has so many possibilities available to them. I imagine Stolk carefully arranging his shells on a flat surface in his studio. He must have felt such delight in the contrasting shapes of the shells! I wonder if the shells were collected by Stolk himself from a beach. What kind of emotional significance did these shells have for him? I’m so intrigued by the tension between the darker background and the lightness of the shells. We see artists responding to other artists across time. I’m reminded of the Dutch still life painters who also captured the beauty of shells. I hope Stolk knew that other artists would be inspired by his work long after his death in 1945.