De meester en de leerling 1923

Erich Wichmann made this drawing with delicate strokes, and shades of gray, capturing a moment between two figures. I can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the paper, each line a whisper, a caress. Look at the way the figures emerge from the shadows, their forms soft and undefined. Is this a master and apprentice? Or perhaps two sides of the same person, one guiding, the other learning? I bet Erich was thinking about his own mentors, and the weight of influence that shapes our path. He probably also thought about how to deal with it, the struggle of finding your own voice amidst the echoes of the past. The beauty of art, right, is that it leaves room for us to fill in the gaps, to find our own meaning in the ambiguity. Because every artist—Wichmann included—is in conversation with those who came before, inspired and challenged by their work.