Zittende naakte vrouw 1891 - 1931

Huib Luns made this drawing of a seated nude woman with pencil on paper. It’s all about the way he uses the pencil, really, and the way it creates the form, bit by bit, with hatching and layering. I love how the texture of the paper shows through. It's like the paper is breathing, and the figure is emerging from it. Look at the way he's suggested the curve of the woman’s back with just a few strokes. It's so economical and confident. There is a kind of warm glow around the figure and the tonality is understated. It reminds me of the subtle tonal variations Edouard Vuillard conjured up to create the sensation of a lived-in domestic interior. The drawing feels unfinished, maybe, but it's this sense of openness that I find so appealing. It's like an invitation to complete the work in your own mind, to project your own desires and fantasies onto the figure. Art, for me, should be generous in that way, open to multiple readings.