Sporters met een bal en een liggende man met een pijp c. 1930 - 1940

Otto Verhagen sketched "Sporters met een bal en een liggende man met een pijp", showing us figures engaged in leisure. Note the sphere held aloft by one of the figures. This ball, a symbol of play and recreation, echoes through time. We might recall the ancient Greek athletes, their bodies idealized, competing in the Olympic games, a ritual imbued with religious significance. Even further back, spheres appear in ritualistic contexts of antiquity, potent symbols of wholeness and unity. The act of throwing, of projecting oneself into the world, connects us to primal urges and aspirations. It resurfaces time and again, imbued with new layers of meaning, shifting between sacred ritual and carefree play. This sketch invites us to reflect on this symbol's enduring presence.