Grote liggende vrouw op een bed waar naast en op haar vijf kleine figuren staan c. 1936 - 1940

Henk Henriët made this sketch of a large reclining woman on a bed surrounded by small figures with pencil on paper. I can imagine Henriët bent over this drawing, his hand moving quickly, trying to capture this dream-like scene. It’s all in pencil, which gives it this delicate, unfinished feel. The woman dominates the scene, her body like a landscape, while these tiny figures are all around, almost like they're inhabiting her dreams, or maybe they're the viewers, us. I wonder what Henriët was thinking about when he made this? Was he exploring ideas about scale, intimacy, or maybe the complex relationship between the body and the mind? It reminds me a little of Paula Rego, but with a quieter, more hesitant touch. Both artists are interested in the interiority of women, how their bodies hold so many untold stories. It's amazing how a simple drawing can open up so much space for thinking and feeling. Henriët is in conversation with all these artists, reaching across time.