Bukkende vrouw c. 1920

Johan Antonie de Jonge made this drawing of a 'Bukkende Vrouw' with graphite on paper. I can imagine De Jonge quickly roughing out the lines that make up this bending woman. The thing about gesture is that you have to move fast and make the mark, so you can start to see the shape emerge. It's so simple, yet so elegant, and this lightness of touch gives the drawing such immediacy. What was he thinking as he sketched? I bet he had to work fast, so he probably didn't have the time to think, just to feel and see, responding in charcoal. I bet De Jonge saw other artists make similar drawings during his life, and he felt both inspired and challenged by their work. That’s what art is about, isn't it? Seeing what someone else did, and thinking, "I can do that too, but in my own way!"