Schetsblad met studies van een schelvis c. 1876 - 1924

Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof captured a 'Sketch Sheet with Studies of a Haddock' with ink, around the turn of the 20th century. The haddock, rendered with a delicate yet precise hand, becomes more than just a fish; it becomes a symbol, a signifier laden with historical and cultural weight. Consider how the image of the fish appears in early Christian art, a coded symbol representing Christ himself. Now, here, the fish isn’t overtly religious, but the echo of that ancient symbolism lingers, transformed yet present. Dijsselhof’s fish, caught between the realms of art and nature, reminds us of how motifs migrate across time, shape-shifting as they traverse different cultural landscapes. The act of sketching itself—capturing fleeting moments of existence—reveals a deeper, perhaps subconscious, desire to preserve and understand the natural world and its profound symbolism. This drawing evokes a sense of both scientific curiosity and primal recognition of the cyclical nature of life and death, creation and decay.