De nieuwe Jeugd 1923 - 1929

Erich Wichmann sketched "De nieuwe Jeugd" with graphite in September 1923. Imagine him hunched over this small piece of paper, his hand moving deftly to capture the essence of youth. The face emerges softly from the paper, defined by shadowy contours. It’s like a ghost of youth, or a memory fading at the edges. Wichmann's drawing is not about exact representation, but rather about evoking feeling. The eyes are deep pools, the mouth a subtle curve, each mark carrying an emotional weight. I wonder what Wichmann was thinking about, what he hoped for, or feared, for the new generation? There’s a vulnerability to the marks, a tender fragility that speaks volumes. It's a small sketch, yet it holds so much. I am reminded of Käthe Kollwitz and her explorations of human vulnerability. Artists seem to be perpetually in dialogue, exchanging ideas across time, inspiring one another's creativity.