Koffie c. 1985

Editor: So, here we have Rein Dool's "Koffie" from around 1985, made using ink and pen. The figures seem…distorted, almost grotesque. There's a strange intimacy to the scene, but also something unsettling. How do you interpret this work, considering its intense, almost claustrophobic composition? Curator: Indeed. Observe the artist's utilization of line and form. The density of the pen strokes creates a visually heavy atmosphere, impacting the emotional experience. Note the bulb overhead and the two heads almost floating, set in what could be read as interior space. This immediately provokes inquiries into pictorial balance, the relationship of the volumes, and how the light is distributed across the whole. The use of black and white simplifies the reading while heightening the tonal contrasts; do you think the drawing emphasizes mood or volume more? Editor: I'd say mood – the distortions and the heavy lines seem geared towards creating a feeling, rather than representing accurate forms. Is there a formal principle guiding how those marks define that sense of confinement? Curator: Yes. It is, for example, arguable that through his deployment of linear perspective, Dool is asking us to acknowledge not just the seen, but also, crucially, the seer. That would locate Dool within an established pictorial strategy. Do you find any indication of this through shape and composition? Editor: The way the background crowds the figures maybe? It adds to that trapped feeling. Curator: Precisely, so it follows that a thorough comprehension necessitates that the visual weight, line work and the composition generate an active relationship through structural and stylistic means, so to understand the function you must analyze its structure as well. Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way, that looking so closely at the structure reveals more about its purpose. Curator: Absolutely. Engaging with the formal properties allows us to address how the work conveys that disquiet you noticed and makes space for viewers to arrive at new perspectives.