Zwaan 1906 - 1945

Reijer Stolk made this drawing of a swan with ink on paper. The swan is caught mid-squawk, or maybe mid-flap. Look at those open wings! The marks are so direct and confident, a real joy to look at. The artist isn’t trying to deceive us with illusionism, rather he’s showing us how he sees, in real time. The drawing feels spontaneous, a record of Stolk's looking, thinking and responding. The ink line is very present, not delicate, but decisive. I love the little scribbles that describe the feathers, and the way the legs are rendered with just a few strokes. It’s not so different from a Cy Twombly drawing, in that it’s all about gesture, all about the hand. It’s a dance between seeing and marking, a wonderful little poem.