Man zittend op een stoel met een meisje op schoot 1874

George Clausen's sketch captures a man seated with a child on his lap, rendered in pencil on paper. The composition is defined by loose, gestural lines that prioritize form over detail, creating a sense of immediacy and intimacy. Clausen's lines delineate the figures with an economy of means, focusing on the volumes and their interaction, and reflecting a structuralist approach. The figures are simplified, composed of basic shapes suggesting weight and presence. The sketch is a study in contrasts: the man's solidity is set against the child's smaller form. The visible address and scribbled notes on the right margin suggest that the artwork operates as a field of possibilities, an index of connections between representation, language, and the artist’s thought process. It prompts questions about the relationship between the observed and the represented.