Levy (?) 

This is a small sketch titled "Levy (?)", of uncertain date, by Alfred Bendiner. The quick, gestural lines of charcoal on paper immediately convey a sense of immediacy and perhaps a touch of humor. The figure emerges from a flurry of marks, with details coalescing just enough to suggest a portrait. Bendiner's use of line is particularly striking. The bold, almost frantic strokes that define the subject's features create a dynamic interplay between abstraction and representation. This piece presents a face but does not solidify into a conventional likeness. Instead, Bendiner captures something more fleeting—a mood, an impression. The composition is deceptively simple. The figure is centered, yet the asymmetry of the marks, the varying pressure of the charcoal, and the almost scribbled quality of the lines at the base destabilize any sense of formal balance. It is this tension between the recognizable and the abstract, the composed and the chaotic, that makes this small sketch so compelling. The work prompts us to consider how much information is needed to convey an identity, and how much can be left to suggestion.