Untitled (Sketchbook page) 1955

Jean Helion sketched this untitled page with pencil and crayon sometime during his life. The way he uses line is really something, isn't it? Scribbling and hatching, capturing the essence of a scene as a process, not a perfect picture. Look at how the scribbled black lines form the tree canopies, almost vibrating with energy. Then the green crayon peeks through, giving a sense of light and depth. It’s all about the immediacy of the moment. You can almost feel the breeze and the hustle of the street. The texture of the paper comes into play too, giving the whole thing a kind of raw, unfiltered quality. That figure smack in the center, those gestural lines that make up the body. They have a vulnerability, a sense of being caught in transit. It reminds me of Picasso's quick sketches, a similar kind of energy. Like Picasso, Helion reminds us art is about exploration, not perfection. It's about finding the beauty in the unfinished and the unexpected.