Etiuda na schody i temple blocks 2019

Lech Jankowski made this drawing, Etiuda na schody i temple blocks, using graphite, and it's all about process. The marks feel like they’re searching, tentative, building up the image layer by layer. Look at the texture; it’s almost like a gritty film still. The graphite is applied in such a way that the surface feels alive, like it's breathing. Those temple blocks in the foreground, they're solid, but also a little ghostly. And then there's the bust on the stairs, like a memory emerging from the shadows. The lines around the head are so delicate, while the shadow behind it is smudged and dense, creating a real push and pull. Jankowski’s work reminds me of the drawings of Giorgio Morandi; both artists share a similar interest in the quiet contemplation of everyday objects. Like all great art, this drawing invites us to slow down, to look closely, and to find beauty in the unexpected.