Meisjesportret met pop, B-1-1, 4 maart Possibly 1942 - 1944

Cor van Teeseling drew this portrait of a girl with a doll, in pencil, on March 4th. There's something so direct about a pencil drawing. You see the artist’s hand so clearly, every decision laid bare. The lines here are tentative, searching. See how the artist keeps returning to the same contour, building up the form with multiple strokes? It’s like he’s thinking through the drawing, right there on the page. Look at the girl's eyes, those big, dark pupils staring right out at us. It's almost unsettling, but also endearing. And then there's the doll, clutched in her hand, rendered with the same delicate touch. Van Teeseling has caught the essence of childhood here, that mix of vulnerability and fierce self-possession. It reminds me of some of Paula Modersohn-Becker's intimate portraits, that same sense of quiet observation. This drawing is an intimate record of a specific moment.