Drinkende Nieuw-Guineeërs before 1936

F. Ockerse made this drawing, *Drinkende Nieuw-Guineeërs*, with what looks like ink and graphite. The marks are so deliberate, like each line is a tiny decision, and it makes you think about the labor and the care that went into it. The drawing's surface has this incredible texture, especially in the figures' hair and the plants. The ink is dense and opaque, and the graphite adds a soft, hazy layer. There's this one spot, right above the dogs, where the lines get all tangled up, like the artist was working through something, maybe a feeling or an idea. It’s almost as if you can feel the artist’s hand moving across the page, working out some kind of problem. Ockerse’s work reminds me a bit of Honoré Daumier, who also used drawing to make social commentary, but here, there is also a real sense of the artists’ own world view coming to the fore. It is a very direct and engaging piece, but resists any single, definitive interpretation.