The artwork “Empty Handed,” created by Marlene Dumas in 1991, belongs to the Neo-Expressionism art movement and falls under the genre of genre painting. The artwork depicts an evocative scene characterized by Dumas’s distinct expressive style.
The painting portrays a child, seated and looking downward, with a round, almost bowl-cut hairstyle that obscures the child’s eyes. Utilizing a subdued palette of blues, greens, and flesh tones, Dumas creates a somber and introspective mood. The child appears to be examining their empty hands, conveying a sense of vulnerability and contemplation. The texture of the brushstrokes adds depth and intensity to the scene, emphasizing the emotional undercurrents of the subject matter. Through this piece, Dumas captures the essence of human emotion and isolation, a hallmark of the Neo-Expressionist movement.
