Ruiter en meisje op bank c. 1965 - 1980

Aat Verhoog made this ink drawing, Ruiter en meisje op bank, without a specified date. Look at how the image has come into being; it emerges from a sea of delicate lines. I’m picturing Verhoog bent over this scene, scratching away, trying to coax this world into existence. It feels tender, strange. I wonder what he was thinking about as he made each mark. There’s something about the cross-hatching that gives the image a strange depth, making the figures feel solid. Like the weight of that rider in the saddle, and the plumes of smoke rising above. It gives a sense of movement to what would otherwise be a still and composed scene. The horse leaps forward; the girls on the bench sit still. This reminds me of how outsider artists like Madge Gill use repetitive mark-making to conjure figures out of thin air. It’s about process and persistence, the way a single line can turn into something meaningful.