Studie van een zittend meisje before 1917

Matthijs Maris made this Study of a Seated Girl with graphite on paper. The drawing is tentative, uncertain, and open, like a question mark. Notice how the lines are built up, softly, searching for the form. It's not about getting it right, it's about the process of looking and feeling. You can almost see him thinking through the graphite, circling around the subject like a gentle fog. There is something very intimate and personal about these marks. Look at the way Maris captures the girl's gaze. It’s direct, almost confrontational, yet rendered with such delicate lines. It reminds me a little of Whistler’s tonalist studies, with their emphasis on mood and atmosphere over detail. But where Whistler is polished, Maris is raw, immediate. This piece feels like an invitation to slow down, to embrace the beauty of imperfection, and to appreciate the quiet moments of observation that make up the artmaking process.