In lompen gehulde vrouw in Ravensbrück - Aat Breur-Hibma

A poignant graphite sketch by Dutch artist Aat Breur-Hibma, documenting a fellow prisoner at the Ravensbrück concentration camp during the Second World War.

This drawing by Aat Breur-Hibma depicts a solitary figure standing in profile, captured with sparse, economical pencil strokes. The subject is a woman wearing the tattered garments typical of those interned at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Breur-Hibma, a Dutch artist and resistance member, was imprisoned in the camp during the Second World War. She produced a series of clandestine sketches during her incarceration, documenting the conditions and the people she encountered under extreme duress.

The composition is minimal, focusing entirely on the figure. The lines are thin and hesitant, reflecting the conditions under which the work was created. The paper itself shows signs of age and wear, including a horizontal fold and a torn edge, which provide physical context to the survival of these documents. The figure is rendered with a sense of quiet observation, avoiding overt sentimentality in favour of a direct, observational record of human presence in a dehumanising environment.

Breur-Hibma's work functions as a primary visual record of the Holocaust. Her ability to maintain her practice as an artist while facing starvation and constant threat is a notable aspect of her biography. These sketches were often hidden or smuggled out, preserving a perspective that is both personal and historical. The drawing does not attempt to romanticise the subject, but rather presents the reality of the clothing and the posture of the individual. It remains a stark, unadorned piece of reportage from a period of immense trauma, offering a glimpse into the daily existence of prisoners in the Nazi camp system.