Twee hanen, een kip en drie kippenpoten 1899 - 1920

Jan Mankes made this drawing of two roosters, a hen, and three chicken legs with a pencil on paper. It's a study, really, about how to see chickens. You know? A little like how you look at something by looking around it, building the form slowly. I love how some of the lines are fainter and more tentative, while others are bolder, more defined. Look at the rooster on the right; you can almost feel him figuring it out as he goes, letting the process guide his hand. The chicken feet, in particular, have a kind of insistent presence. Mankes's light touch reminds me of other modern masters like Paula Modersohn-Becker, another artist who found profound beauty in simple, everyday subjects. Mankes's drawing invites us to embrace imperfection and celebrate the ongoing conversation between artists across time. It's like he's showing us that art isn't about having all the answers, but about asking the right questions and embracing the ambiguity along the way.