Tandenpoetsen man 1972

‘Tandenpoetsen man’ was made by Rein Dool in 1975. It’s a pencil drawing with light washes of grey and brown. The man in the drawing is really going for it with the toothbrush. I wonder what Rein Dool was thinking when he made this drawing. The man's got his hands flat against the wall, like he’s holding himself up. It's a vulnerable image of a man when he’s most private, in the bathroom. The drawing is so light and sketchy, it feels ephemeral. The lines are delicate, almost hesitant. Dool is known for his slightly absurd and surreal style. His focus on ordinary subjects imbues his work with psychological tension. The drawing has affinities with the work of other artists like Philip Guston or Martin Kippenberger, who imbue the everyday with psychological insight and dark humour. The beauty of art is that each generation is constantly in conversation with those before them, inspiring new ideas, new ways of seeing. And isn't that lovely?