Portret van een kind 1890 - 1946

Here's a drawing of a kid in what look like headphones by Cornelis Vreedenburgh, probably made with graphite on paper. I love the way you can see the marks, the artist's hand so clearly, like a map of his looking. I wonder what Vreedenburgh was thinking as he made this portrait. Was it a quick sketch, dashed off in a moment? Or a more considered study, capturing the kid's likeness with care? The smudged lines around the child’s face and hair give it a soft, almost dreamlike quality, as if they’re listening to something only they can hear. It reminds me a bit of other portrait artists who try to capture something essential about their subjects through these fleeting sketches. We painters, we're all in this ongoing conversation, picking up where others leave off, inspiring each other across time. Each mark is an expression of their unique sensibility. It's like they're saying, "Here's how I see the world. What do you think?"