Liggende model 1914 - 1915

Karl Isakson made this small drawing, Liggende model, using what looks like charcoal on paper. It’s so simple, just a few lines, but they manage to convey the shape of a reclining figure. It reminds me that artmaking is always a process, of addition and subtraction, finding the most essential elements to communicate an idea. The texture of the charcoal gives the lines a kind of softness, like a whisper. The figure seems to emerge from the page, as if it were a memory or a dream. There’s something so intimate and vulnerable about the way Isakson captures the human form with such economy. Look at the way he defines the curve of the back with a single, confident stroke, and then the darker shading around the head and shoulders, giving the figure a sense of weight and volume. Isakson’s pared-down approach recalls the work of Matisse, who similarly used line to capture the essence of form. Both artists remind us that art is not about representation, but about finding new ways of seeing and experiencing the world.