Brief aan anoniem Possibly 1980 - 1981

Cees Bantzinger made this drawing of a woman, with what looks like charcoal and chalk. It's amazing how he captures her figure with just a few strokes, focusing on the raw movement of the hand across the paper. The texture here is everything; the way the charcoal smudges and blends creates a soft, dreamlike quality. Look at the way he's built up the shadows around her arms and shoulders, it's like she's emerging from the darkness. The highlights on her back and the folds of her skirt are so delicate, almost ephemeral. You can almost feel the artist feeling his way around her body. It reminds me a little of Paula Modersohn-Becker, the way she also used these muted earth tones to capture the essence of the human form. It’s a conversation across time and space, don't you think? And it's not about perfection, but about the process.