Kinderkopje met een rechtopstaand plukje haar Possibly 1941 - 1948

Cor van Teeseling made this delicate pencil drawing of a child, titled Kinderkopje met een rechtopstaand plukje haar, but translated as Child's Head with an Upright Tuft of Hair, sometime before his death in 1942. Look at the way he's built up the tones on the face. See how the soft gradations give volume to the cheeks and jawline? I love how the artist uses the smudging of the pencil to create a hazy effect, especially around the eyes, lending the child a certain vulnerability. The collar is rendered so minimally, it's just a few lines, like he couldn’t wait to get to the face. That little tuft of hair is great, too. So playful and energetic, it really pops against the soft shading of the face. It reminds me a little of Paula Modersohn-Becker's drawings – simple, but full of feeling. It’s like Teeseling is saying, "Here's a life, fragile and new, full of potential."