Kinderkopje met een rechtopstaand plukje haar Possibly 1941 - 1948

This drawing of a child’s head with upright tufts of hair was made in pencil by Cor van Teeseling. Look how the artist seems to be feeling their way into the form. You can almost see him thinking, stroke by stroke. I wonder if he knew this kid. I mean, really knew him, knew what made him tick. Was the child still, or fidgety? Did Teeseling work fast, trying to catch something fleeting? It feels like it. There’s a softness here, a tenderness, particularly in the modelling around the eyes and mouth. There’s a vulnerability in the subject but also the treatment. This makes me think about the tradition of artists drawing their children, from Käthe Kollwitz to Lucian Freud. What does it mean to capture someone you know so intimately? The drawing feels like a conversation between artist and subject, a collaboration even. It’s like they’re both figuring it out together. Isn’t that what art is all about?