Leunend meisje en een kop van een kind 1854 - 1914

Albert Neuhuys created this drawing, "Leunend meisje en een kop van een kind," using graphite on paper. The composition immediately strikes you with its seemingly random placement of figures: a resting girl, a child's head, and a pair of hands floating above. Notice how Neuhuys uses line weight to define form. Thick, dark lines create depth and shadow in the girl's dress, while lighter, sketchier lines give a sense of ethereality to the disembodied head and hands. This contrast destabilizes traditional portraiture; the figures are present yet incomplete, grounded yet dreamlike. Here, form becomes a carrier of meaning. The unfinished nature of the sketch reflects a fleeting moment, an idea in progress. The disjointed elements challenge our expectations of wholeness and coherence, suggesting a psychological space where fragments of memory and emotion coexist. Ultimately, it invites us to consider how Neuhuys uses the formal qualities of drawing to explore themes of childhood, memory, and the fragmented nature of experience.