Gezicht op Enkhuizen met de toren van de Zuiderkerk en een telefoonmast c. 1905 - 1920

Willem Bastiaan Tholen made this drawing of Enkhuizen, with its Zuiderkerk tower and a telephone mast, on paper using graphite. I love the tenderness here. Tholen's light touch makes the scene feel like a memory, or a daydream. He captures the texture of the stone with such care and precision, especially on the church tower; you can almost feel the roughness of the aged bricks and the smooth, worn steps, all done with very delicate marks. The drawing reminds me of some of Agnes Martin’s more architectural drawings - it’s a study in contrasts. The geometry of the buildings and the telephone lines, versus the soft, hazy sky. See how he uses thin lines to suggest depth, and the way the lines fade out as they recede into the distance? I find myself lost in the details, appreciating the artist's subtle touch and his knack for finding beauty in the everyday. It shows us that, in art, as in life, it's often the simplest things that hold the most meaning.