Twee mannen in gesprek bij een kop koffie before 1945

Hans Borrebach sketched these two sharply dressed men over coffee with ink on paper. I wonder what they’re talking about? The man on the left wears a polka dot suit, which looks pretty sharp, even with just ink. The one on the right is in a more business-like pinstripe. It’s interesting to note how, even in this simple drawing, Borrebach shows the men using clothes to perform different versions of masculinity. The whole scene is created with economical lines, like when you’re doodling on the phone. What I love about the hatching of the pen is the cross contouring which gives the feeling of form. When I look at those lines, I see a kind of shorthand for light and shadow, volume and depth. All the things painting can do. All this with just simple gestures. It’s like he’s saying so much, with so little.