Jongens houden een watergevecht in zee before 1933

Hans Borrebach made this dynamic drawing of boys having a water fight, we think around 1938, with ink on paper. Look at how he uses the bold, dark ink to create shapes of water that are almost solid! The contrast between the stark black ink and the white paper gives the image a lively, graphic quality. I'm thinking, this is a drawing about play, and the line is all about the process of making a splash. See how the artist uses short, energetic strokes to depict the spray of the water? It’s like he’s capturing a fleeting moment, a burst of energy suspended in time. And those dark, wriggly lines forming the waves – they’re so expressive, almost like the water has a personality of its own. This piece reminds me a little of the German Expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, who also used bold lines to capture intense emotion. Like all good art, Borrebach’s drawing invites us to dive in and experience the joy of a summer day at the beach.