Portret van Bouke Ylstra 1977

Rein Dool made this portrait of Bouke Ylstra with pencil, and it is wispy and delicate. I can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the page, gently coaxing this image into being. It’s a study in quiet observation, isn’t it? I wonder what the circumstances were when Dool made this drawing. Was Bouke a close friend? Were they talking? You get the sense of him really seeing this guy, but also being respectful, not wanting to disturb him. There’s something vulnerable about the lines, they’re not harsh or assertive. More like a whisper. It reminds me that artists are always learning from each other, building upon the past, whether they know it or not. Each mark, each line is a conversation between the artist, the subject, and the world around them. It's a tender moment captured in graphite.