Studieblad met schelpjes 1876 - 1951

Theo Nieuwenhuis made this study sheet of shells sometime in his life with graphite on paper. He was really going for it; you can see him working out the essence of a shell. I imagine Nieuwenhuis with a pile of shells on his desk, turning them over and over, trying to capture their form. The shells feel like a motif, like an alphabet of shape that he’s trying to work out. I love that he’s written notes next to each shell; ‘reddish-brown,’ ‘green-grey dark brown.’ As if words could capture the color! You see it in other painters like Morandi, who returned to a small collection of bottles, cans, boxes. They are like words, or notes, things to be arranged in a composition. Painting is like that. You have a limited number of moves and you have to figure out what you can do with them. All artists are in a dialogue together, finding new ways of seeing the world. It is such a wonderful conversation to be a part of.