Vrouw in Ravensbrück staat haar hemd te drogen - Aat Breur-Hibma

A poignant graphite sketch by Aat Breur-Hibma, documenting a moment of daily life in the Ravensbrück concentration camp during the Second World War.

This drawing by Aat Breur-Hibma captures a moment of quiet, mundane activity within the Ravensbrück concentration camp. The artist, a Dutch resistance member imprisoned during the Second World War, produced a series of sketches documenting the daily lives of women in the camp. Her work provides a rare, direct record of the conditions faced by prisoners, focusing on the small, human gestures that persisted despite the surrounding brutality.

The composition is spare, reflecting the limited materials available to the artist. A woman stands with her back to the viewer, holding a garment to dry. The lines are thin and economical, capturing the posture and form of the figure with minimal detail. The paper itself shows signs of age and wear, with a torn edge that speaks to the clandestine nature of its creation. Breur-Hibma worked in secret, often using scraps of paper and pencil stubs to document her surroundings.

By focusing on the act of drying a shirt, the artist draws attention to the struggle for basic dignity and hygiene in an environment designed to strip both away. The drawing avoids grand narrative gestures, opting instead for a direct, observational approach. This work is part of a larger collection of drawings that serve as a record of the artist's time in captivity. It is a document of survival, rendered with a steady hand under extreme duress. The lack of shading or complex background elements keeps the focus entirely on the figure, creating a sense of isolation and stillness. This piece offers a perspective on the history of the Second World War that is personal, immediate, and unadorned.