graphite
76.6 x 57.3 cm

Wim Konings, who lives and works in Rotterdam, has increasingly turned his attention to his immediate surroundings and the objects of everyday life in recent years. In contrast to his earlier work, which thoroughly explored the history of art, his focus has shifted to simple objects found in his daily environment. These incredibly densely-worked drawings, each executed over the course of a month (or longer), depict ordinary items such as a box, a hammer or a glove. While these objects take centre stage in Konings’ work, these drawings are as much intense studies of light as they are of the objects themselves. This approach has resulted in acutely observed views depicting scenes such as the Amsterdam Rijnkanaal, where light flickers on the water, or shadows cast on the walls of the artist’s studio. It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, that the subjects of Wim’s most recent drawings are diamonds—a material in which the interplay of light lies at the very heart of its essence. The present large-scale drawing, executed in graphite, is an almost abstract study of its subject. Presented from a radically frontal perspective, the drawing highlights what diamonds perhaps do best: reflecting light in an infinite array of angles.