Kangoeroes in een hok c. 1904 - 1906

This is Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof's 'Kangaroos in a cage', and it's rendered with graphite on paper. Imagine the artist, perhaps at the zoo, quickly sketching these animals. The lines are loose, like he’s trying to capture not just their shape but their energy, the way they move in their confined space. Look at the kangaroo on the left: that single, confident line defining its back, so smooth and efficient! It makes me think about how artists learn to see, to simplify, to find the essence of a form with a few strokes. I wonder if Dijsselhof ever felt like those kangaroos, trapped by the expectations of the art world. Maybe this drawing was a way for him to explore those feelings, to connect with these creatures on a deeper level. It reminds us that art isn’t just about what we see, but how we relate to the world around us, and how other artists do, too.