Tongewelf c. 1916

Reijer Stolk made this drawing called Tongewelf with a pencil on paper, though we don't know exactly when. It’s all about the bare bones here, isn't it? Just the structure, the scaffolding of an idea. Look at those lines, how they confidently map out the space, not trying to be precious or perfect. The pencil strokes are so immediate, you can almost feel Stolk's hand moving across the page. There’s a beautiful tension between the precision of the architectural forms and the looseness of the execution. It’s like the drawing itself is a kind of construction site, where ideas are being hammered out in real time. Those hatched lines create a sense of depth and volume, but they also flatten the space, reminding us that it’s just ink on paper. It’s a balancing act, a dance between illusion and reality. It reminds me a bit of Piranesi, who also played with architectural forms in his etchings, exploring the boundaries between reality and imagination. Ultimately, it's a sketch of infinite possibilities.