Figuren en spelende kinderen bij een fontein op het Koningsplein te Brussel 1930 - 1938

This drawing by Otto Verhagen captures figures and children playing by a fountain in the Koningsplein in Brussels. It's all about the process, a build-up of quick strokes capturing movement and light. Look at how the pencil creates a sense of volume with simple hatching. The figures aren't meticulously rendered, but they have weight and presence, thanks to the artist's attention to the direction and pressure of his marks. There’s a lovely contrast between the detailed rendering of the man in the foreground and the more gestural depiction of the children and the other figures in the background. It reminds me a bit of Daumier, that same quickness and interest in the everyday. Art's not about perfection, it's about capturing a moment, an impression, and Verhagen does that beautifully. It's a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, a way of seeing and interpreting the world around us.