Jupiter en een ram 1900 - 1903

This drawing, Jupiter en een ram, by Antoon Derkinderen, looks like it was made with graphite on paper. I love seeing the artist’s hand so clearly in a work, the bare minimum of marks used to describe the volume and mass of the god Jupiter, and the ram. The light pressure of the pencil creates a delicate texture, almost as if the figures are emerging from the page. Look closely at the ram's head, see how Derkinderen uses a tangle of lines to suggest the woolly texture of its coat? The sketchy quality of the lines creates a sense of movement, as if the scene is still in flux, still coming into being. This piece reminds me of the quick, gestural sketches of Rodin, both artists capturing the essence of form with incredible efficiency. It’s a good reminder that art is not about perfection, but about the process of seeing and translating that vision onto paper.