Portret van Zus 1922

Otto Verhagen made this drawing of Zus in 1922, using pencil on paper. It’s kind of fascinating how Verhagen captures the softness of baby fat with such sharp lines. The shading around the mouth and cheeks gives the face dimension, but there’s a flatness to the overall image, especially in the pillow area. It feels like the softness of the pillow is created using the same method as the hair, by scratching and hatching the surface. You can see the individual marks that make up the hair, giving it a sense of volume. It's like a dark halo around the face. The drawing reminds me of some of Elizabeth Peyton's sketches, where she captures fleeting moments with a raw, intimate touch. Like Peyton, Verhagen seems less interested in photorealistic accuracy and more in capturing a mood, a feeling. Art isn’t about answers, it's about the questions we ask along the way.