Stående nøgen kvinde, profil til højre, draperi i hånden 1949

This drawing of a standing nude woman with a drape in her hand was made by Vilhelm Lundstrom, and you can see it at the Statens Museum for Kunst. The artist really goes straight for it, doesn't he? The charcoal, or whatever he's using, is so direct, so un-fussy, that you feel he's trying to get to the essence of the figure with the fewest possible lines. It's all about gesture here. I bet he worked fast and intuitively. I see him trying to distill the figure to its most basic forms and angles. I think of the Cubists, but maybe also of Matisse. He's unafraid to leave some areas unresolved, focusing instead on the overall rhythm and movement of the body. It makes you wonder what Lundstrom was thinking about when he made this. Was he trying to capture a fleeting moment, or was he more interested in exploring the abstract qualities of the human form? Whatever his intentions, there's a raw, honest quality to this drawing that I find really appealing.