Zittende oudere vrouw aan een tafel en kippen 1885 - 1931

Willem Bastiaan Tholen made this drawing of an old woman, a table, and some chickens with graphite on paper. The artist’s process feels very much on display here. The lines are quick, searching. You can almost see the artist circling around the forms trying to capture them. There's a beautiful, raw energy in the way he hasn't labored over the details but instead focused on capturing the essence of the scene. Look at the way the shading on the woman's dress is rendered with these bold, directional strokes. There’s a real physicality to the drawing, it’s like you can feel the weight of the graphite on the paper. The contrast between the densely shaded areas and the light, airy sketches of the chickens gives the piece a wonderful sense of depth and movement. It reminds me a bit of Daumier, in its immediacy and focus on the everyday. But unlike Daumier there is a gentleness, an intimacy here. It's a reminder that art is often at its best when it embraces ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own experiences and interpretations to the table.