Zittende vrouw met drie manden 1843

This sketch, *Zittende vrouw met drie manden*, by Hendrik Abraham Klinkhamer, presents a study of form through the simplest of means: pencil on paper. The composition, dominated by the figure of a seated woman and three prominent baskets, is striking in its geometric simplicity. The artist uses line to define shape and texture. The baskets, rendered as cylindrical forms, are placed to create a sense of depth and spatial relationship with the woman. The woman's posture and clothing—suggested with minimal strokes—carry a symbolic weight; she's a guardian of everyday objects, yet the ambiguity in her expression and the setting invites us to question her role. Klinkhamer challenges traditional portraiture by focusing not on individual likeness but on the formal arrangement of shapes and lines. This approach shifts the emphasis from the subjective to the objective, inviting viewers to engage with the artwork's structure and form. The sketch embodies a dialogue on representation—an intellectual exercise in seeing and interpreting the world around us.