Spelende meisjes en twee zonnebadende vrouwen op het strand c. 1930 - 1940

Otto Verhagen captured this sketch of playing girls and sunbathing women on paper with a pencil, maybe even on the beach. Look at how he's built up the figures with these quick, searching lines, almost as if he’s trying to catch them before they run off to the sea. You can almost feel the warmth of the day in the pink tones he has applied to the figures. I wonder what Verhagen was thinking as he watched these beachgoers. As an artist I’m often drawn to making similar sketches when I’m traveling or in public places. It’s the pure joy of observation. This piece is similar to a Matisse line drawing or even a Cy Twombly sketch. All of these artists are participating in some kind of visual dance across time. We are always absorbing and reacting to the world around us. And that’s where art begins.