Woman Carrying Beer Steins 1912

F. Droimer made this drawing of a woman carrying beer steins, sometime around 1912, with ink on paper. And you can see the thinking in the hand so clearly! It’s got that straightforward, confident use of line that makes you want to just grab a brush and start drawing. The ink is applied so directly, alternating between a kind of delicate touch, like in the woman’s face, and these bold, almost comic-book blocks of pure black ink defining the folds of her skirt. Look at the way Droimer uses the white of the paper to create form, that contrast between black and white, light and shadow is so strong. In some ways it reminds me of Käthe Kollwitz, who was also a master printmaker and draftsman. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t have to be labored over to be powerful; sometimes the most immediate gestures are the most compelling.