Liggend naakt 1928

Here’s a pencil drawing on paper made by Pieter Willem van Baarsel. It's called "Liggend naakt," which means "Reclining Nude." When I look at this, I think about line and form. The artist is using thin pencil lines to create volume, like shadows are gently being cast on the body, and he's thinking about how to get a likeness. There’s a vulnerability to the subject in this, just lying there on the paper. I wonder if he laboured over it, or if it was just a fleeting thing. I imagine him working quickly, wanting to capture a sense of the body, a pose, a mood... How many other drawings of figures did he make? I like to think about how artists build on what they see other artists doing, you know, how we are all in dialogue. This drawing makes me think of other artists' quick sketches. It makes me want to reach for my own pencil and paper!