Illustration for an Inuit legend (two naked persons making fire) 1927 - 1928

Kaarale Andreassen made this illustration for an Inuit legend with pencil on paper, we’re not sure exactly when. The drawing is all about the scratchy, immediate quality of the pencil line. Look at the hatching that models the figures, how it creates a sense of volume and depth with simple repeated marks. The scene shows two figures diligently working to make fire, and the texture of the pencil seems to mimic the energy and labor they put in to achieve this. I love how Andreassen hasn’t tried to conceal the process. It’s all there on the surface. Every mark contributes to the overall feeling of the work. There’s something so direct and honest about that. It reminds me a little of Alfred Kubin, another artist who wasn’t afraid to embrace the raw, expressive potential of drawing. Art is always a conversation, right?