Studieblad, onder andere met een ornamentele lijst c. 1901

This sketch, by Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof, is a great example of the way the process of artmaking can be a journey. It’s made with graphite, and it seems to be on simple lined paper, something you might find in a school notebook. Dijsselhof lets us in on the act of thinking through drawing. I really get a sense of how he’s working out an idea, bit by bit. Look at the bold, dark marks in the center, sitting so casually over the lighter shapes. They feel like a key, a guide for the eye. The texture is immediate, a direct record of the hand moving across the page, almost like the artist is speaking directly to us. This work reminds me of the drawings of Gustav Klimt, in its emphasis on line and decorative patterning. Like Klimt, Dijsselhof invites us to appreciate the elegance of the simplest mark, and the beauty of imperfection.