Notities, onder andere over schilderachtige plaatsen in Nederland 1895

This page of notes was created by Willem Cornelis Rip, an artist born in the Netherlands in 1856. Rip jotted these impressions of picturesque places in the Netherlands with graphite on paper. Graphite, like charcoal, is a humble material – just carbon, readily available and easily applied to a surface. Yet, the artist’s very choice of this medium implies something about his method. Graphite encourages quick, light gestures and a focus on capturing the essence of a scene, rather than belabouring it. The handwritten notes and sketches suggest a direct, unfiltered encounter with the subject matter. Rip was interested in observing, recording, and interpreting the world around him. The immediacy afforded by the graphite reflects a desire to capture fleeting moments, and communicate them to us. These sketches remind us that artmaking is a kind of labor. The artist’s hand is evident in every stroke, reflecting a personal engagement with the subject, which moves far beyond mere observation.