Staande naakte vrouw 1890s - 1900s

Karel de Nerée tot Babberich rendered this standing nude woman as a pencil drawing, sometime between 1880 and 1909. Pencil on paper is, of course, a traditional medium, one that has been used for centuries to capture fleeting thoughts and ideas. The very directness and simplicity of the medium is what gives this drawing its power, the artist seems to be trying to capture the essence of the figure with a minimum of fuss. The marks are light and delicate, and the artist has used a limited range of tones to create a sense of depth and volume. The thin and pale quality of the lines gives a vulnerability to the figure. The artist seems to have been less interested in technical virtuosity than in directly expressing his idea. It is this sense of immediacy and authenticity that makes the work so appealing, and reminds us that art is not just about skill, but also about vision and feeling.