Rokende sigaar 1884 - 1952

This drawing of a cigar by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries is all about the push and pull between the central form and the swirling patterns surrounding it. I can imagine him at his desk, turning the paper this way and that, his hand moving in small circular motions. Look at how the smoke unfurls. There’s a real energy and liveliness to it, don’t you think? It's like he's trying to capture something fleeting and ephemeral, like a memory. The image’s monochromatic palette helps emphasize the contrast between the cigar and its surrounding environment. There’s a tactile quality too; you can almost feel the texture of the smoke, see the way it dissipates into the air. It reminds me a little of Odilon Redon’s charcoal drawings, those dreamlike images filled with symbolism and mystery. I bet de Vries was looking at Redon, maybe even trying to channel some of that same spiritual intensity into his own work. For me, painting is always about this kind of conversation—artists talking to each other across time and space, inspiring each other to see the world in new ways.