Drie figuren bij een hek voor een boerenwoning 1854 - 1914

This is a graphite sketch on paper of three figures by a fence in front of a farmhouse, made by Albert Neuhuys. Neuhuys was fascinated by rural life and the daily routines of working-class people. Here, his process is immediate and unpretentious. The dry graphite abrades the paper, leaving a trail of granular marks to depict the scene, the figures suggested with just a few lines. The artist has chosen a humble material here, a simple pencil, to capture a fleeting moment in time. The figures may have been drawn ‘en plein air’ on site and rapidly executed. The texture and weight of the paper support this approach. The choice of materials lends itself well to the depiction of the everyday life of farm workers. The nature of the sketch is to show a simple life with the most basic of materials. It reminds us to look at art beyond its aesthetic value and consider the materials, the process and the social context in which it was made.