Fiskerdrengen Ham 1932

Christian Kongstad Petersen made this artwork, Fiskerdrengen Ham, with graphite on paper. Look at the way that Petersen coaxes a figure out of the paper. You can almost see him moving back and forth, unsure, then suddenly sure with a few definite lines that capture the shape of a hat or the fall of a coat. It’s all about the push and pull, the back and forth. I love the way the image hovers on the page. I imagine Petersen, eyes fixed on his subject, rapidly sketching and then squinting to see what he has done, and then sketching again. A dialogue between the artist and his subject, and also a conversation with other artists such as Daumier. These marks feel very present, the artist's energy is visible. The surface is alive and breathing, and I feel like I’m breathing with it too.