Staande figuur in Egyptisch kostuum 1906 - 1945

Reijer Stolk made this pencil drawing on paper, entitled ‘Standing Figure in Egyptian Costume’, sometime between 1910 and 1945. There’s such lightness of touch here. The drawing is almost floating on the page, like a memory, or a half-formed idea. I love the way Stolk has used the pencil to create a sense of volume and depth with just a few lines, and a few smudges. You can almost feel the artist searching for the right form, the right gesture, as he coaxes the figure into existence. The costume itself—that’s a whole other story! What was Stolk thinking about when he made this piece? Was he interested in ancient cultures? Was he designing costumes himself? This piece feels connected to other artists who use drawing to explore the human form, like Picasso or Matisse, but Stolk brings his own unique sensibility to it. It is a reminder that art is always a conversation across time and space. Artists inspire one another, building upon each other's ideas and innovations. And they leave space for us to dream into their work.