Het uithalen van het aardewerk uit de oven van De Sphinx te Maastricht 1881 - 1948

Herman Heijenbrock made this drawing of the Sphinx factory in Maastricht with chalk and watercolor, so it’s all about the surface and the light. I love how he uses a limited palette of grays and browns, punctuated by small details to create this scene. It’s like the whole drawing is exhaling, and then holding its breath again. Look at the way the figures are placed – each one seems caught in their own world, yet they're all part of this rhythmic, almost hypnotic process. There's one figure right up top, handing something down from the oven, and the others are carrying the pottery. You can almost feel the weight of those cylinders. It's heavy work and the artist really lets you feel the weight and labor of the people in the factory. It makes me think of other artists interested in labor, like Adolph Menzel, but where he focuses on machinery, Heijenbrock is highlighting the workers, which makes it interesting to look at and interpret!