Schoonouders Roelants-Lewe van Middelstum met hun kleinzoon Egbert 1846

David Bles created this pencil drawing titled 'Schoonouders Roelants-Lewe van Middelstum met hun kleinzoon Egbert' whose date is unknown, now residing in the Rijksmuseum. The composition arranges three figures, each articulated through Bles's distinct linear style. A child, seemingly caught mid-action, is positioned separately from the grandparents, who are rendered with a network of delicate strokes. The drawing style shows a study of light and form, focusing on how clothing drapes and falls, defining the figures. Bles uses line to explore familial dynamics and generational connections. The sketched lines create not just outlines but volumes, suggesting depth and presence through shading and texture. It invites us to consider the fleeting moments of observation captured through the immediacy of drawing. It challenges our understanding of portraiture by presenting it as a study of forms and relationships rather than a static representation. Through Bles’s manipulation of the pencil, we see a representation of a study into form and light, as well as an intimate familial moment captured with sensitivity.