Slapende man op het strand 1930

Otto Verhagen made this pencil and watercolour sketch of beach life in Noordwijk in 1930. What strikes me first is the use of line, how these figures are captured with such simple, economic strokes. You can really see the artist thinking through the process of making the image in the different weights of lines and areas of colour wash. The colour palette is muted, lots of earthy browns and greys, punctuated by the blue of the sea and sky. The texture of the paper is visible throughout, giving the work a sense of immediacy and intimacy. I love the way that the sleeping man is rendered with such a relaxed pose, his hat tilted over his eyes, the folds of his clothes suggested with just a few deft strokes. The man is both present and absent from the scene. It reminds me of some of the sketches by Manet, in the way that it captures a fleeting moment in time with such economy and grace. Ultimately, art is about embracing ambiguity, leaving space for multiple interpretations, and allowing the viewer to bring their own experiences and emotions to the work.