Portret van een kind 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh made this portrait of a child with graphite on paper, and it's a reminder that art often begins with simple tools. You can see the immediate quality of the graphite; it's right there on the surface. There is a lightness of touch in the child's face with subtle shading and an attention to light and shadow, especially around the headphones. It’s interesting how the details of the hardware are picked out with precision, yet the child’s face is softer, more diffuse. I love that contrast! It's as if the artist is saying something about the relationship between technology and humanity, even way back when. You can see echoes of artists like Käthe Kollwitz in Vreedenburgh’s approach. Both artists shared an interest in capturing the nuances of human expression through drawing. Art’s like that – an ongoing conversation, isn’t it?