Figure Attacking Soldier c. 1916 - 1918

This is Maximilien Luce's drawing, *Figure Attacking Soldier*, made at some point in his career using ink on paper. The raw umber ink feels thin and scratchy, economical, like a quick idea dashed onto the page. The scene flickers with a rapid energy. I imagine Luce driven by a feeling, maybe rage, maybe fear, using line to capture a fleeting moment of violence, a desperate struggle. Look how the dark strokes define the figures, so quick and loose it’s almost like they could unravel at any moment. The one figure’s hands claw at the other, a tangle of limbs and desperation. You can almost feel the tension, the instability of the moment. I keep thinking of Goya's dark paintings and the raw, unsettling quality that he was able to capture. Luce is doing something similar here. There's something so immediate and visceral about this drawing. It's like Luce grabbed a moment right out of the air and pinned it down with ink. It's not pretty, but it's powerful.