Standing draped figure 1913

Ferdinand Hodler made this drawing of a standing draped figure with graphite on paper. The figure emerges from a ground of regular squares, like graph paper; we might think of this as an early example of art that integrates the grid. Hodler’s marks are provisional, searching and tentative, and although they describe the draped figure, they also describe a process. Look at the hatching around the head, neck and shoulders. Hodler’s markmaking is more insistent in this area, as if the character or identity of the figure is located there. The arms are strangely disconnected, the rendering of the hands especially awkward. The drapery is loosely indicated with a few long marks. We can sense Hodler grappling with the problem of how to represent a figure on a two dimensional surface. It reminds me of Cezanne and his struggle to arrive at something new. Both artists give us an opportunity to witness their process, thinking through drawing.