Man wijst naar Pepita in een hotel before 1948

Editor: Here we have Hans Borrebach’s pen drawing, "Man wijst naar Pepita in een hotel," created before 1948. It’s a striking image. It’s a domestic scene and I feel a building tension here. The man pointing, the woman looking alarmed… What do you see in this piece? Curator: Immediately, I'm drawn to the power dynamic. Borrebach uses sharp lines and stark contrast, embodying authority but also unease, to highlight a very recognizable social narrative, one carried in Western imagination through comic and caricature. Do you see symbols that repeat this narrative structure? Editor: Well, yes. The man's raised finger, a classic gesture of scolding, coupled with his formal attire juxtaposed against Pepita's maid uniform – these create a visual hierarchy. Also the speech bubble. The drawing is intended to tell a short story or be a caricature, which amplifies his role in relation to hers. Curator: Precisely. The artist captures, perhaps unwittingly, not only a personal interaction but also a larger social memory of class difference made explicit through symbols of service and command. The door behind, too, features a single heart. This seems out of sync with the image, yet also points to larger narrative symbols like “love.” How would you put it? Editor: It does complicate things. Maybe the artist uses irony here? It is clearly a domestic scene, and Pepita appears in the room, seemingly to service the couple. Curator: A charged space, both domestic and potentially exploitative. It forces us to examine how visual language entrenches societal expectations. Are the woman’s actions also representative of a familiar archetype? Editor: Yes, there's almost a theatricality to it. She's embodying the "exasperated servant" in some ways. Curator: That cultural memory shapes how we view even simple drawings, doesn't it? These kinds of images echo symbolic power, well after the moment in time Borrebach created them. Editor: Absolutely, it’s amazing to see how one drawing encapsulates so many ideas about power, memory, and even love through the symbols selected by the artist.