Madame Paris assise sur une banquette 1915

Here we have "Madame Paris assise sur une banquette" by Paul César Helleu, who sketched it using pencil and crayon. Helleu’s approach to mark-making is so loose, so free, like the lines are dancing, or maybe just flirting with the paper. I love how he captures Madame Paris’s striped jacket and hat, and the way the crayon adds a little blush to her cheeks. It makes the whole drawing feel alive. The material aspect of this piece, the paper, the soft pencil and crayon, feels so immediate. It's like Helleu is right there, sketching away, and you can almost hear the scratching of the pencil. Look at the way he uses those quick, scribbled lines to create the shadows and the folds in her dress. It's so simple, yet so effective. It’s amazing how much information and personality he manages to convey with so little. Helleu knew Sargent, and you can see that influence in his elegant, effortless style. But there’s something so uniquely French about Helleu’s work. It's like a little slice of Parisian life, captured in a fleeting moment.