Paardenmarkt 1913 - 1945

Henk Henriët made this sketch of a horse market with pencil on paper. Look at the tentative, searching lines that form the bodies of the animals and the people. Henriët must have been standing there in the thick of it, quickly trying to capture the feeling of the place. I wonder what Henriët was thinking as he sketched these horses – maybe about their strength, their spirit, or the hard work they represented? The artist's focus seems to be on the animal's haunches, their solid, rounded forms creating a sense of presence and weight. The soft shading suggests the texture of their coats, a subtle contrast to the more angular lines that define the human figures nearby. This piece reminds me of other sketches by artists like Degas, who also captured fleeting moments of everyday life with such grace. It is a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation across time. It embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.