Gebouw in aanbouw met twee figuren op bouwplaats 1913 - 1945

Henk Henriët made this drawing of a construction site with pencil on paper, but we don't know exactly when. It’s the kind of drawing that pulls you in with its delicate lines. You can see how Henriët built up the image, layer by layer, not just depicting a building but also revealing the process of its creation. Look closely, and you'll notice the scaffolding around the building, almost like a skeleton. It reminds me of drawings by Piranesi, who also used architectural subjects to explore themes of structure and form. What’s striking here is how the lines aren’t trying to hide anything. The texture of the paper, the varying pressure of the pencil—it's all part of the story. And then there are the figures, so subtly placed, giving a sense of scale. This drawing feels like a conversation, an open-ended exploration of space, form, and the act of building. It leaves you with a sense of possibility, much like Henriët’s later landscapes and figure studies.