Drie jagers 1900 - 1935

Patricq Kroon made this small drawing, "Three Hunters," with ink and graphite, I'm guessing, working out some thoughts on paper. Look at the way he's scratched the lines into the page, quickly, instinctively, to build up the figures. I imagine him, pausing, squinting, deciding where to place each line. These aren't portraits, exactly, more like types. I wonder if Kroon felt a sense of kinship with Daumier and Toulouse Lautrec? He creates a world of social commentary, but with a bit of humor and insight. There's a looseness here that suggests the artist wasn't trying to capture some kind of perfect likeness, but to express something more essential about human nature. Each generation of artists builds upon the discoveries of the past, finding new ways to see and represent the world. The spirit of inquiry, the desire to experiment, to push the boundaries of what's possible – that's the lifeblood of art.