Vajda Lajos Fiú Arc 1939 310x230 Mm Ceruza , Papír 1939

Vajda Lajos made this drawing of a boy's face in 1939 with pencil on paper. The drawing is so fragile, so delicate. You can almost see the artist holding his breath as he coaxes these pale lines into being, defining the face of a boy. The paper itself is like skin, a creamy ground for the emergence of form. I imagine Vajda Lajos hunched over this drawing, his brow furrowed in concentration. What was he thinking, what was he feeling as he traced the contours of that boy's face? Is the boy real, or imagined? The blank eyes are interesting – two simple ovals containing nothing. And yet the space around them vibrates with possibility. It reminds me of other portraitists who leave certain features unfinished, as if inviting the viewer to complete the picture. It’s like Vajda Lajos is reminding us that seeing is not just about looking, it’s about feeling, about filling in the gaps with our own imagination. We are all, always, in conversation with one another.