Kleuter met wandelstok, zittend in een landschap 1705 - 1768

Anna Folkema created this detailed drawing of a toddler with a walking stick in a landscape using pen and ink. The composition is dominated by the child figure, seated in the foreground, which creates an immediate and intimate connection with the viewer. The detailed strokes of ink bring out the delicate features of the child and the textures of the clothing. Folkema uses a semiotic system of signs, the walking stick symbolizes authority and adulthood, clashing with the child’s tender age, destabilizing expectations. She engages with new ways of thinking about perception and representation by challenging fixed notions of age and power. The artwork suggests a dialogue between innocence and authority, revealing how such symbolic meanings are culturally constructed. The drawing is not just a portrait, it’s an invitation to question the values we assign to images.