Portaal of raamkozijn 1892 - 1913

Bramine Hubrecht made this small graphite drawing of a portal or window frame sometime between 1870 and 1913. Looking at this sketch, I can almost feel the pencil in my own hand—the way it moves so tentatively across the page. There’s a real sense of uncertainty here, like Hubrecht is feeling her way through the scene. She finds the basic structure of the window, but other marks hint at a larger space. The artist seems to be working out the image in layers, lightly indicating forms, and then returning to darken certain lines. It reminds me of a lot of my own processes, trying to find what I'm after by trying it out. I wonder if Hubrecht had been looking at the work of other artists exploring similar themes? Maybe she was thinking about the spatial investigations of painters like Vilhelm Hammershoi. Artists are always in conversation with one another, building on each other’s ideas. There’s a quietness to this sketch, but also a feeling of potential. It’s like Hubrecht is inviting us to step into her world and complete the picture ourselves.