Zebra c. 1904 - 1906

This is Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof’s ‘Zebra,’ a drawing made with pencil on paper, and what strikes me is the sense of playfulness in the drawing. The lines are tentative, as if Dijsselhof is working out the form of the zebra as he goes. The legs are a little wonky, and the stripes are not perfectly aligned, but that’s part of its charm, right? The texture of the paper is visible beneath the pencil marks, which adds to the overall sense of lightness and transparency. It reminds me of a child’s drawing, full of imagination and a sense of wonder. Look at the way the tail flicks out behind the zebra, as if it’s caught mid-stride, full of energy and movement. This piece is reminiscent of Henri Rousseau's naive style, which embraced simplicity and directness. Ultimately, art is not about perfection; it’s about capturing a feeling, an idea, or a moment in time.