Hoofd van een kind, in profiel naar rechts c. 1922 - 1925

Otto Verhagen made this sketch of a child’s head, in profile, using pencil, and with touches of red chalk. It’s a study, a try-out, a what-if, a let’s-see-where-this-goes kinda thing. The marks are tentative, almost shy, except for the hair, where he’s gone in with some purpose, layering the red chalk to give it volume and life. The rest of the drawing is like a ghost, barely there, but enough to suggest the shape of a small body, a hand clasped in the lap. It reminds me of those early Giacometti paintings, where the figure is just a whisper on the canvas, or maybe a Cy Twombly scribble, allusive and fleeting. What I love about drawings like this is how they show the artist thinking, making decisions, changing their mind. It’s like we’re getting a glimpse into their process, their way of seeing. Art isn’t about answers, it’s about questions, about exploring the possibilities of form and color and line.