Elkaar omhelzende reuzen en een kleine figuur c. 1936 - 1940

Henk Henriët made this drawing of embracing giants and a small figure with pencil on paper. The lines are light, layered, like a palimpsest of intentions and revisions; a process of searching for the right form that feels very contemporary. The soft, graphite strokes build up the volumes of these monumental figures in a way that feels both tentative and confident. I am drawn to the contrast between the solid, grounded forms of the giants and the tiny, almost ethereal figure standing alone below. The texture of the paper is also important, it gives the drawing a sense of immediacy. Look at how the artist has used the side of the pencil to create shading. This is particularly visible around the figure on the left side. The overlapping lines around the heads of the figures make the image vibrate, and shows us that Henriët was unafraid to let us see the workings behind the image. It reminds me of the work of Paula Rego, in that the artist is interested in exploring the psychological relationships between people and power. Like Rego, Henriët uses scale and distortion to create a sense of unease and ambiguity, reminding us that art embraces multiple interpretations.