Bloem c. 1916 - 1945

Reijer Stolk made this drawing called 'Bloem' with a pencil, at some point. It’s all about the process of seeing and recording, you know? The cool thing about drawings like this is that you can really feel the artist working through the image, trying to capture the flower's essence with simple lines. The texture of the paper and the lightness of the pencil make it feel immediate. There's something really charming about the imperfections and the way the lines kind of tremble and stutter across the page. Focus on the way Stolk renders the flower's petals – those soft, almost tentative lines. It's like he's feeling his way around the form, letting the flower emerge gradually, one line at a time. It reminds me a little of Agnes Martin's quiet, meditative drawings, where the process is just as important as the image itself. It’s like Stolk is whispering to us about the beauty of the natural world, inviting us to slow down and really see it for ourselves.