Martha Desrumeaux - Aat Breur-Hibma

A poignant pencil portrait of Martha Desrumeaux, drawn by Aat Breur-Hibma while both were imprisoned at Ravensbrück concentration camp.

This portrait depicts Martha Desrumeaux, a French trade unionist and politician, captured by the Dutch artist Aat Breur-Hibma during their shared imprisonment at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. The drawing is executed in pencil on a scrap of paper, reflecting the scarcity of materials available to the artist during this period. The composition is stark, focusing on the subject's facial features with a direct, observant gaze.

Breur-Hibma utilised fine, controlled lines to model the structure of the face, showing a clear understanding of light and shadow despite the limited medium. The paper is torn, which provides a physical record of the conditions under which the work was produced. The artist included her initials, the location, and the name of the sitter, documenting the identity of the individual and the setting of the encounter.

This work belongs to a series of portraits created by Breur-Hibma in the camp. These drawings function as a record of the women held at Ravensbrück. The artist maintained a focus on the humanity of her subjects, using her skills to document their presence in an environment designed to erase it. The portrait is not a formal commission but a personal observation, capturing a specific moment of resilience. The lack of background detail keeps the viewer focused entirely on the expression and character of Desrumeaux. It is a piece of historical documentation that provides a window into the experiences of those held in the camp, preserved through the medium of portraiture.