Gezelschap drinkende mannen c. 1936 - 1940

Henk Henriët made this quick sketch of a drinking party sometime before 1945, using pencil on paper. Imagine the artist quickly capturing the atmosphere of the moment, a fleeting scene of camaraderie and perhaps a bit of intoxication. Look at how Henriët uses line—it’s scratchy, urgent, like he’s trying to pin down the essence of each character before they move or change their expression. I can imagine him sitting in a corner of the pub, unnoticed, rapidly sketching these figures. What was it like to be Henriët, surrounded by all this, his mind racing to record it all before the moment was lost? He probably drew upon the visual language of Dutch masters like Rembrandt, whose paintings captured lively tavern scenes with similar energy. It makes me think of the way artists look to each other across time, riffing on each other's moves, keeping the conversation going. It is an ongoing dance of influence and interpretation.