Sitter 1906

Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin made this drawing, Sitter, with charcoal, working over the laid-back male figure until it felt right. I can almost see the artist circling, coming in close, then stepping back to get the whole view. It’s like they are speaking to the sitter, and speaking to the drawing. Look how light the marks are across the page, and then how dark they get when describing the leg nearest to us, pushing it forward. I can almost feel how Petrov-Vodkin pressed harder there. There is so much information in those marks! This drawing reminds me of others I have seen from this period, and I am sure Petrov-Vodkin would have been looking, thinking, and responding to them too. It's like they were all having a conversation. That’s what art is: a conversation! Artists learn from each other.