Portret van een kind 1890 - 1946

Curator: Ah, what we have here is a preparatory drawing by Cornelis Vreedenburgh, believed to be from somewhere between 1890 and 1946. It's entitled “Portret van een kind” or “Portrait of a Child” and resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Well, the most striking thing is the sheer vulnerability of the infant staring back. There’s also a rawness, a sketched quality that captures a fleeting moment, a quick impression. Curator: Exactly! It's that immediacy, that feeling of capturing a thought in pencil. Vreedenburgh really wasn’t labouring to get an exact likeness; instead, it has the energy of a note in a sketchbook. Notice how he's experimented with depicting the same subject in different states or poses on the same page? Editor: That other figure… it seems almost agitated. Tossing, maybe flailing? Makes you think of those early stages, when an infant's limbs move independently, unconnected to conscious intention. Curator: Yes, the unfinished nature reinforces that idea of nascent being, of becoming. The vagueness allows us, as viewers, to project our own memories and ideas onto the image. It’s like seeing potential itself, pure, unfiltered expression on a piece of paper. I am not sure if this work was just experimentation with shapes and shades of the features. Editor: Perhaps the lack of fine detail invites a deeper engagement with the underlying emotion? It mirrors the somewhat chaotic world of a very young child, their needs, and reactions that we ourselves once had as children. The face is well rendered to express the idea or meaning of it. I believe everyone would agree to this. Curator: Indeed. There is definitely the symbol of new beginnings that seems so prevalent within our society’s collective imagery, with some kind of uninhibited nature within. Editor: It is intriguing how much emotional presence a few lines on paper can conjure. I find myself reflecting on the power of simple representation. A drawing like this makes you realise that true skill isn’t just about technical proficiency; it is about capturing the essential essence of being.