Lezende man en boekverkoper bij een boekenstal c. 1938

Henk Henriët made this quick pencil sketch, "Lezende man en boekverkoper bij een boekenstal", or "Reading man and bookseller at a book stall" at an unknown date. Henriët's squiggles and marks remind me of Phillip Guston's late works. The hat, the round face, the subject matter. Guston’s late paintings seem so awkward and so human, as does this drawing. I like the way the pencil shading creates an atmosphere of its own. It's almost like the figures are emerging from the paper, with the bookseller gesticulating, his hand raised as if he is trying to get the customer to buy something. The customer looks to be on the fence. I wonder what the salesman is selling? And will the man buy it? The linear marks create a sense of tension, like a thought that hasn't yet materialized. Painting is just this, isn't it? An ongoing conversation with oneself and the world, that is captured with quick gestures.