Nubi e Collina (Clouds and a Hill) 1993

Giancarlo Tognoni made this drawing, Nubi e Collina, sometime around 1993, probably using graphite or charcoal on paper. What strikes me is the artist’s approach, the mark-making feels open, exploratory, like the work of art is never really finished but always becoming. The surface is built from many delicate lines, hatching, and smudging, which give a sense of depth and atmosphere. It’s not exactly clear what we are looking at, but it feels like a landscape. The hill is a jumble of lines, almost like a bird’s nest, and the clouds are smudges of soft, indistinct graphite. The artist has used a combination of hard and soft pencils, or perhaps charcoal, to create a range of tones and textures. The darkest marks are like small points, scattered across the composition, giving it a sense of movement and energy. This drawing reminds me a little of Cy Twombly’s landscapes, in the way that it uses a loose, gestural style to evoke a sense of place. Both artists are interested in the process of drawing, and in the way that the mark can become a metaphor for the thing it represents. Ultimately, this work feels like it's more about the act of seeing, and the process of trying to capture the essence of a place.