Dan Kosumi 2014

This sensitive graphite portrait of Dan Kosumi by Gazmend Freitag captures the sitter’s gaze with delicate and layered marks. I love the quietness of the drawing, it’s so intimate. I can imagine Freitag working on this portrait, slowly building up the tonal values with his pencil, mapping out the subject's likeness one line at a time. The smudged shadows around Kosumi’s eyes and under his chin give the portrait a real depth and texture. Freitag captures the planes of the face with such care, the eyes feel so alive. The way the tie hangs loose suggests a certain informality. Maybe the portrait was drawn in Kosumi’s home, during a moment of quiet reflection? Like Lucian Freud, Freitag uses a limited palette to create a compelling and psychological portrait of his subject. Artists are in ongoing conversation, inspiring each other. It’s clear Freitag created this to capture a likeness, but also to explore the expressive qualities of graphite itself.