Reclining Sketch of Charlie Parker 1930

Editor: Here we have Denman Waldo Ross's "Reclining Sketch of Charlie Parker." It seems to be a quick study in graphite. How do you see its composition working? Curator: The economy of line is quite striking. Note how Ross captures form with minimal tonal variation, relying on contour and placement. The figure is contained yet seems to push against the edges of the support. It begs the question, does this compression serve to amplify the figure’s presence or conversely, diminish it? Editor: That’s interesting, thank you. Curator: My pleasure. It’s in observing these formal relationships that we come closer to the work’s essence.