Jongen op een duikplank c. 1900 - 1930

This is Elly Verstijnen’s drawing of a boy on a diving board, it’s not dated, but it feels kind of old. The whole thing is rendered in these simple, sure black lines on a pale ground, probably paper. I love the way the artist hasn’t labored over details, but the black lines feel really confident, like quick decisions that add up to something very expressive. Look at the line of the boy’s back, it’s almost a single stroke! There’s something so tender about it. And the cross that marks the spot where he’s supposed to launch, it is as if Verstijnen is asking the viewer to imagine the seconds before he takes the plunge, to feel his anticipation, or maybe his fear. It makes me think of other artists, like David Hockney, who have been drawn to the subject of swimming pools and diving boards. These artists seem to use these images to talk about something more than just sport, maybe they're talking about human potential, and that’s a conversation I want to be part of.