Zeilschepen 1900 - 1931

Willem Bastiaan Tholen made this sketch of sailboats probably with graphite or charcoal on paper. Look at how the marks seem to build up the forms, like the sails are emerging right in front of us! I bet Tholen was really feeling the movement of the boats in the water and trying to capture that rhythm. I can imagine him squinting at the scene, pencil in hand, trying to figure out how to get the essence of those sails just right. The interesting thing about painting, or even drawing, is that it's never really finished. There's always another mark to make, another layer to add. Each stroke has a reason, a feeling, a purpose. And when you put them all together, you get something that's more than the sum of its parts! It's like a conversation between the artist and the painting, back and forth.