Meisjes c. 1922 - 1925

This is Otto Verhagen's ‘Meisjes’, made with pencil and watercolour. It feels like a page torn from a sketchbook, right? Maybe the artist was at the park one day, quickly capturing the fleeting moments of childhood innocence. I imagine him, rapidly sketching, trying to capture the girls before they ran off to play, so there's a certain immediacy to the lines. See how the colours are so soft and muted? Like a faded photograph. I think of other artists who capture fleeting moments like this: Degas, with his dancers, or Manet. They all remind me that painting isn't just about what you see, but about how you see it. It’s about capturing that feeling of a moment, a mood. We’re all just trying to have a conversation across time.