Torso af kvindelige model 1910 - 1914

Harald Giersing made this drawing of a female torso, using a pencil, at an unknown date. The dense hatching of the pencil lines builds up the form, creating shadows and volume. I feel like Giersing is really going for it here – he isn't shy about laying down those marks to capture the weight and physicality of the model. I can imagine him squinting, really trying to understand how the light wraps around the curves of the body. There’s a real sense of him grappling with form. It reminds me of some early modernist explorations, where artists were pushing the boundaries of representation, trying to capture something more than just a likeness. You can see this in other artists of the period, like Paula Modersohn-Becker, who were also exploring the body in new and daring ways. There’s this dialogue happening across time, with artists constantly riffing off each other's ideas. It is all about that conversation, trying to push painting forward, one mark at a time.