Moeder met kind 1885 - 1940

Rob Graafland made this drawing of a mother and child with brown crayon. It's all shimmering, scratchy marks, full of love. Imagine Graafland bent over the page, softly shading with his crayon, trying to capture this tender scene. Look at the baby’s tiny hand reaching up, fingers splayed, the soft folds of the mother’s dress, and the gentle curve of her neck. I imagine him wanting to hold the moment, to give it shape. I imagine the deep exhales. It reminds me of the drawings of Käthe Kollwitz, who was working around the same time as Graafland, capturing mothers and children in simple marks on paper. It’s like they’re in conversation with each other, reaching across time. This work feels immediate, intimate, open. It’s so incredibly lovely.