Untitled 

Curator: It has such a stark, haunting quality. Editor: This is an untitled drawing by Zdzislaw Beksinski. It seems to be done primarily in pencil and charcoal. Curator: The density of the charcoal is really remarkable. It looks like he layered it meticulously. What do we know about the conditions Beksinski was working under when he produced his drawings? Editor: Beksinski actually burned some of his work when he became unhappy with it; plus, the drawings and paintings he made seem to be channeling anxiety from personal tragedy in his own life and broader anxieties around cultural and political conditions. Curator: Absolutely. The human figures, so contorted, and almost skeletal, look less like portraits and more like exposed internal machinery or psychological states made material. How the medium seems perfectly suited for this portrayal of pain and the macabre… the ease of erasure. Editor: Well, his techniques were pretty unconventional, from what I gather. Beksinski didn't typically work from live models. His images come from his imagination, drawing deeply from surrealism, expressionism, and even Gothic themes. Curator: The piece’s disturbing character reminds me how images like this reflect the societal preoccupation with suffering. Editor: The faces in this image are quite tortured. And how interesting to see the very process of artistic production—mark-making, erasing, layering—becomes an extension of that suffering in the final work. Curator: Exactly, and the stark contrast in light and shadow that this drawing holds invites our engagement. It almost beckons us into this haunting realm of human expression. Editor: Seeing how both medium and materials converge to communicate the artist’s subjective perception makes me consider the potential power and risks of art. Curator: Indeed, this drawing invites reflection about the relationship between individual suffering, historical and political turmoil, and artistic creation. Editor: Right, it reminds me how important it is to examine art's relationship with public emotion, because it has a large effect on society's ability to process certain issues.