Head of a Woman 1908

Abraham Walkowitz drew this intense Head of a Woman in 1908, using what looks like ink on paper. The scratchy lines, the kind of marks you make without lifting the pen, give you a sense of urgency, like he needed to get this down fast. Look at the way Walkowitz builds up the form with all these quick strokes. The dark ink creates depth, but then he leaves areas bare, almost raw. It's like he’s mapping the face more than describing it, finding the planes and angles with an almost brutal honesty. Notice the eyes, how they’re shadowed and heavy, giving her a haunted look, or maybe she’s just tired. This piece reminds me of some of Egon Schiele’s drawings, that same intensity and focus on the raw, unvarnished human form. It feels like Walkowitz is not just showing us a face, but also revealing something about the act of seeing and the struggle to capture it.