Man in een mantel met een parasol en sigaar c. 1928 - 1930

Otto Verhagen rendered this man in a sketchbook using colored pencils and graphite. Look how the colors softly hatch across the surface like gentle rain. I can imagine Verhagen standing on a street corner, quickly capturing the essence of this person—his red coat ablaze, his face obscured by shadow and smoke. He’s holding the parasol like he doesn't care if it rains or not. It feels like a moment suspended in time, a fleeting glimpse of a life unfolding. I think of other artists like Daumier who also captured the everyday life of the bourgeoisie in a similar vein, though with a more biting sense of humor. But there's something tender in Verhagen’s rendering; like he understands this man. Artists inspire each other, remixing and reinterpreting what came before. Painting offers a space for dialogue, a way of thinking through color, line, and form. It embraces the unknown and reminds us that there are endless ways of seeing and being in the world.