Ruijs de Beerenbrouck als Charlie Chaplin, 1923 1923

Patricq Kroon made this drawing, "Ruijs de Beerenbrouck as Charlie Chaplin," in 1923, and it's all about the lines, isn't it? Quick, scratchy, full of nervous energy. You can almost see his hand moving across the paper, trying to capture the essence of Chaplin's goofy charm. It's all done with pencil, and there's something immediate about that. It's not trying to be precious, it's more like a thought bubble made visible. Take a look at the way he's drawn Chaplin’s hair, those frantic scribbles – it’s like he’s trying to catch a fleeting expression, or a burst of laughter. The three figures standing above Chaplin all point at him, and the varying pressure of the pencil line used to create each figure creates a dynamic sense of hierarchy. This reminds me of George Grosz and Otto Dix and the way they used caricature to critique society. Like them, Kroon’s work embraces a raw, unfiltered vision. Art isn't about perfection, it's about capturing a moment, a feeling, an idea. It's messy, ambiguous, and all the more interesting for it.