Ontwerp voor wandschildering in de Beurs van Berlage: scène uit de legende van het vrouwtje van Stavoren 1869 - 1925

Antoon Derkinderen created this pencil drawing, "Ontwerp voor wandschildering in de Beurs van Berlage: scène uit de legende van het vrouwtje van Stavoren", as a study for a mural. The figure ascends a staircase, carrying a sack, while holding a small plant sprig in the air. Notice how Derkinderen balances the human figure with architectural lines of the staircase. The composition is carefully structured; the upward movement of the figure contrasts with the static lines of the architecture. The sprig of a plant is a key element. Its delicacy plays against the weight and volume of the sack the figure carries. This contrast destabilizes a simple reading of the image. What does it mean? Does the figure carry sustenance or wealth, or is it destroying life? Ultimately, the drawing's strength lies in its formal tensions. The narrative is secondary to the push and pull of visual forms and the dynamic interplay between line and space. This is not just a historical illustration but a meditation on form, balance, and visual meaning.