Meisje, zittend met het rechterbeen opgetrokken 1885 - 1931

Curator: "Meisje, zittend met het rechterbeen opgetrokken"—Girl, Sitting with Her Right Leg Raised—a graphite drawing, comes to us from the hand of Willem Bastiaan Tholen, likely conceived between 1885 and 1931. Editor: It's a restless sort of drawing, isn’t it? That hurried line, almost vibrating with energy. I can feel the artist trying to capture something fleeting—a gesture, a mood. Curator: Indeed, the swift, almost frenetic application of graphite yields an evocative representation of form and shadow. The composition directs our attention to the girl's posture, note the way her raised leg introduces a dynamic asymmetry, disrupting any sense of conventional portraiture. Editor: I keep wondering what she’s thinking, you know? There’s a tension between the casual pose and those quite serious eyes looking right back at us. It's like she’s caught between childhood and something…else. Curator: The beauty here inheres in its suggestive quality. Tholen offers an outline more than a detailed representation. We can consider how the use of graphite creates depth without relying on colour—an exercise in tone and texture alone. Note also the subject's attire, loosely indicated yet conveying a sense of time and place. Editor: And the incompleteness too, right? I find myself filling in the blanks. Is she bored, or pensive? The negative space lets your own imagination wander into the drawing and make the picture personal. I mean, the line is lovely, for sure—but it’s that lack of finish that hooks you in. Curator: A valid perspective. Such open-endedness allows diverse interpretations. However, the formal success resides also in Tholen’s deft control over line. His drawing presents a case study in suggesting movement and psychological interiority using limited means. Editor: Right, but for me it's all the unspoken stories hovering just outside those graphite lines. This quick sketch is just a jumping-off point and that is so beautiful. Curator: Perhaps it exemplifies art's power to solicit subjective responses, prompting unique narratives across time and experience. Editor: I'd say you just nailed it with that perfect, pretty description. Now that I look, her pose is not at all casual - what is going on with her posture here? It all comes to me, a lot, just from considering all the possibilities, I can say that for sure.