Dr. Schil met Koreaanse kinderen 1952

David Ketel's 'Dr. Schil met Koreaanse kinderen' captures a scene with a unique perspective, almost like a stage set, and it invites us to consider the layers of looking. The composition is fascinating, isn't it? A large tree dominates the foreground, framing a vista where a group of Korean children gather with Dr. Schil. The colors are vibrant yet subdued, a palette of greens and browns contrasted with the distant blues of the landscape. I'm struck by how the solid presence of the tree pulls the viewer into the scene. It’s a way of thinking about how we enter into a picture – not directly, but through layers of form and space. You can almost feel the roughness of the tree bark against your hand. It reminds me of the work of Gerhard Richter, who also played with blurring the lines between representation and abstraction. Just like Richter, Ketel isn't giving us easy answers; instead, he invites us to linger in the space between seeing and understanding.