Ridder van Drooghout 1894 - 1959

This is Ridder van Drooghout by Monogrammist G.J., it's a comic strip in a newspaper or magazine. It’s probably made with ink and then printed, the colours are muted, and the lines are clear. It reminds me of old newspapers that used to sit around, and someone drew in them with coloured pencils. I can imagine the Monogrammist G.J., bending over the drawing, tongue out, very concentrated. Maybe they were working to a deadline, imagining the story as they drew, the hustle and bustle of a busy print shop all around. The poses of the main character are so funny, always falling over. Is it a critique of high society? Each little scene has a different drama, a tiny world of gesture and expression. It’s really interesting to see how much emotion you can pack into a small amount of space. In painting, as in life, constraints can lead to incredible inventiveness.