Rechterarm en bovenlichaam van een vrouw 1904

This drawing of a woman's arm and torso, by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst, probably started with a few tentative lines, maybe searching for the right pose, the angle of the arm, the way the light falls. I like to think about the artist, in the moment of creating. What was Holst thinking about as he drew the figure? The paper is so soft and thin, the marks are delicate but confident. The hand grasping a rod looks strong, determined even. I feel a strange combination of tenderness and power. There's a conversation happening here, between Holst, the model, and us, the viewers. Each adding our own experiences and interpretations, riffing on the same theme. It’s like a jam session where everyone gets to improvise. And that’s the beauty of art, it's never truly finished, it keeps evolving.