Straatverkoper verkoopt het tijdschrift Gil Blas c. 1900 - 1925

This small drawing of a street vendor selling the magazine Gil Blas was made with pen and ink by an artist known only by the initials E.K. The thing I notice first is the economy of line, the way the artist uses quick, almost scribbled marks to describe the figure and his wares. It’s like the drawing is thinking out loud, each line a decision, a step in the process of figuring out the form. Look at the way the vendor’s coat is rendered with these simple, parallel strokes, yet it still manages to convey the fabric’s weight and texture. Or how the face is just a few lines, but you get a real sense of his character. The artist seems to be saying that the work isn't some kind of finished product, or slick advertisement, but, just, like, people doing stuff. I am reminded of Daumier's lithographs of Parisian life, which were so raw and so honest. Art becomes like a form of conversation. Always questioning and evolving.