Meisjes spelend met een tol en bal c. 1917 - 1919

Here we have Otto Verhagen’s watercolor, ‘Meisjes spelend met een tol en bal’, showing three girls in different states of play. The drawing is all tentative lines, like something caught on the hop. I’m drawn to the upper figure, who almost looks like a paper doll, so flat and front-on. The solid block of green behind her head throws her forward, but it's also kind of ominous! Her hands are held out in front, but they look so vulnerable and weirdly stiff, she’s like a little statue, stuck in a pose. I find myself wondering what she's looking at, what she's thinking about. This piece reminds me of artists like Forrest Bess, who used to create these intense, intimate works on paper. Both Bess and Verhagen share a similar immediacy and rawness that I find really compelling, like they're trying to capture something fleeting and deeply personal. I love the idea that art can be a portal into another person's world, a way to connect with their thoughts and feelings, even if we don't fully understand them.