Vogel op een paal aan een waterkant c. 1916

Reijer Stolk made this drawing, "Vogel op een paal aan een waterkant", with pencil on paper. Stolk, who lived from 1896 to 1945, was deeply rooted in a time of immense social and political upheaval. Looking at this simple sketch, it’s hard to ignore the context of Stolk’s life. The seagull, perched atop a post amidst the water, evokes a sense of solitude and precariousness. The bird, a symbol of freedom, is confined to this small space, as if mirroring the restrictions and uncertainties of the inter-war period and World War II, when Stolk died. The sketch invites a dialogue between the personal and the political. The seagull, while seemingly free, remains bound to its post, a poignant reflection on individual agency within larger historical forces. Consider how it captures a moment of quiet contemplation amid the storm of history.