Man, vrouw en kinderen lopend door een gang 1916

Frans Lazarom made this little ink drawing of a family walking through a hallway sometime before 1936. It is built up with these tiny little repetitive marks, a real process of drawing, not just dashing something off. There’s a delightful sense of texture created by the hatching and cross-hatching of the ink. It’s funny how black ink on white paper can give you so much detail and depth! Look at the faces of the figures – the artist captures their expressions with just a few simple lines, like that mischievous little boy. The artist creates the figures with a few marks, he’s telling us something about the character of this family. Lazarom reminds me a bit of William Steig. Both had this way of making detailed illustrations which are equally heart-warming and humorous. Ultimately, art is all about communication, and Lazarom speaks to us through his lively, expressive lines.