Jan en Joost op een zolderkamer before 1926

Anny Leusink made this drawing, "Jan en Joost op een zolderkamer," with ink and watercolour, and it's all about the atmosphere in this little attic room, mostly rendered in shades of blue. The whole scene is bathed in this cool light, and it's got a real dreamy, melancholic vibe. The texture here is everything – you can almost feel the grain of the paper, and see how the watercolours have settled into the fibres. Then there's the different blues. Notice the deep, almost black blue of the stove that grounds the image, and the softer blue in the clothing and wallpaper. It’s all so physical; you can feel Leusink’s hand moving across the page. What stands out is the curtain to the top right. It is not obvious what it is at first, as it's just a mix of white and blue lines. It's just a dash, a gesture, but it brings the whole room to life. Makes me think of Bonnard or Vuillard. Both of them were super concerned with the way colour and light could create atmosphere. Just like in this drawing, you can lose yourself in these little details. The room, and the two characters within it, seem to hover between realities.