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

Otto Verhagen made this drawing of girls playing, using pencil and watercolor washes. What I like is how the artist has captured them mid-motion. The standing girl is framed by a wash of green behind her, making her feel more present and solid than the others, who are made from quick lines. I can just see the girl on the left, head down, as she whips the top. She’s all angles. And the girl on the right, about to throw the ball, leaning forward, so her whole body is involved. Verhagen’s use of color is sparing, which somehow makes it so evocative! The lavender skirts and the soft pinky orange of their blouses. It's just enough to make the figures pop out of the page. I wonder, was he trying to find the gesture that captured the essence of the game? Because the artist has caught them in the act of being children. I see the work of other artists here, and I wonder if he did too? After all, we are all in conversation.