Jaroslava Muchová c. 1920s

Alphonse Mucha made this drawing of Jaroslava Muchová with pencil and white chalk on toned paper. I love the controlled softness and the graphic edge to the flowing line. Imagine being Mucha, gently coaxing this vision onto paper. He’s figuring out how to move from light to shadow, maybe mumbling to himself, trying to get the turn of the head just right. The model’s pose is so classical, so Madonna-like. And yet, it feels very modern and immediate. It's as if he's captured a moment of thought, a brief pause in a busy day. The texture of the chalk on the paper makes the form palpable. It's very tactile and haptic. These types of drawings are foundational and essential, a chance for the artist to work through the complexities of seeing and representing the world, and it reminds me that all painting, all drawing, is a conversation across time.