Gezicht in een oude gang before 1909

W.F. Barber made this drawing, “Gezicht in een oude gang,” with graphite, conjuring an old corridor out of thin lines. I can imagine Barber, hunkered down, squinting at a very old hallway, trying to make sense of its depths. What catches my eye is the contrast between the solid architectural forms and the see-through chair. The portal is imposing, and the chair… not so much. It’s as if it just floated there, maybe waiting for someone? I feel like Barber is asking: how can a drawing convey the weight of stone, the silence of an old space, the feeling of something that lasts a long time, even forever? The touch is delicate, the lines are tentative, but somehow the drawing holds it all together. It reminds me of Piranesi’s architectural etchings, but more personal, more intimate, like a fleeting thought.