De nieuwe Jeugd 1923 - 1929

Erich Wichmann made this lithograph, De nieuwe Jeugd, sometime around 1923. There's a lovely softness to it, a blurring of edges that makes you feel like you're seeing something emerge from a fog. The lithographic crayon seems to dance across the surface, creating a velvety texture that's both delicate and intense. Look at the eyes, how they're almost swallowed by the shadow, and then how the light catches the curve of the cheek. It’s like Wichmann is building form out of atmosphere. That smudge right above the signature, is it intentional? A fingerprint, maybe? Or just a happy accident that adds to the piece's intimacy. This work reminds me a little of Odilon Redon's dreamlike charcoal drawings, where faces and figures appear as fleeting visions. It’s this sense of the ephemeral, the idea that art can capture something intangible, that really grabs me.