Kip en kuikens voor een kippenhuis c. 1890 - 1930

This drawing, *Kip en kuikens voor een kippenhuis*, by Totie, is made with pen and ink, and look at the way she lets the lines do all the work! I love how she uses only the simplest of marks, which are laid down with such clarity. It's like she's saying, "Here's what I see, and here's how I see it." Check out how those quick little hatching marks build up the volume on the hen and the coop, or the way the horizon line sort of dissolves into a scribble. It's not about perfection; it's about getting the essence down with a few, confident strokes. This kind of directness reminds me a bit of Alfred Jarry, with his simplified forms and slightly anarchic spirit. Like him, Totie embraces the unrefined, finding beauty in the straightforwardness of her medium. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t always need to be complicated to be profound.