Drie jagers 1900 - 1935

Patricq Kroon drew these Three Hunters, Drie Jagers, with ink on paper, and you can tell he had a lot of fun doing it. The lines are loose and free, and the shading is quick and gestural. It's like he's thinking out loud with his pen, letting the characters emerge as he goes. I love how Kroon uses the thin, washy ink to create shadows and depth. It gives the figures a sense of weight and volume, even though they're just outlined. Look at the way he suggests the folds of their clothes with a few strokes of the pen, or the way he creates the texture of their beards with a series of short, choppy lines. It reminds me of some of Daumier’s lithographs, that same satirical edge, that quickness of hand. You can imagine Kroon sketching these guys in a cafe, capturing their essence with a few deft strokes. Art is just people talking to each other.