Straatmuzikant met blaasinstrument 1900 - 1931

Jacob Bendien made this drawing, Straatmuzikant met blaasinstrument, which translates as 'Street Musician with Wind Instrument', using graphite or charcoal on paper. The marks are so subtly gradated! The musician reminds me of a ghost—an anonymous figure with a very long wind instrument. Bendien’s worked the surface to give the figure a real sense of volume. I can almost feel the weight of the musician’s hat and overcoat. The stippled effect gives the picture a soft, eerie appearance. It’s like he's been caught in a hazy dream. I wonder what it was like for Bendien making this artwork. Did the texture build slowly, gradually revealing form? Maybe the process allowed Bendien to explore shape, shadow, and form. There’s such mystery in how artists use marks to turn nothing into something.