Portret van Tiny Kleiterp als kleuter in een pakje met driekwart mouwen en broek 1924

Klaas Kleiterp made this small portrait of Tiny Kleiterp, likely from a photograph. It's a tiny faded image of a girl in an outfit with a certain seriousness and formality, framed by sepia card. I love the soft greys and browns, and the careful attention to detail, like the way her curly hair frames her face. You can see the hand of the artist in every brushstroke, gently coaxing the image into being. It feels like a dance between the artist and the subject, a delicate negotiation of form and feeling. I imagine Klaas Kleiterp wanted to capture the essence of Tiny, and the fleeting moment of childhood in the Netherlands. This work makes me think of Vuillard, who did so many interiors in this period – although this little painting is in a world of its own. In the end, it is an invitation for us to bring our own stories and experiences to it, to find our own meanings and connections. Painting, like memory, is an ongoing conversation, a constant exchange of ideas across time.