Droomachtig tafereel 1919

This dreamy scene by Bernard Willem Wierink feels like it emerged slowly, maybe through many states of mind. It’s hard to tell exactly when it was made, but just imagine Wierink, trying, failing, and then discovering something new. Look closely, and you can see a figure in the lower-left corner, perhaps a musician, standing next to a cello, watching a group of figures inside of a circle or a sphere. The earth tones feel very grounded, yet the overall mood is ethereal and almost mythical. I can imagine Wierink contemplating big questions about life and art, searching for a way to visualize this. It makes me think about artists like Odilon Redon, who were also trying to capture something beyond the visible world. Art is like this ongoing conversation, right? We’re all just riffing off each other, trying to make sense of it all and find new ways to express the unsayable.