The bride of Mitrovica 2017

Gazmend Freitag made 'The Bride of Mitrovica' in 2017, the media isn't listed but the earthy browns suggest ink or coffee on paper. I love the spontaneous quality of this piece! Freitag isn't afraid to let the ink bleed and run, embracing accidents and improvisations. The whole composition is built from these layers of thin, diluted ink washes. Look closely, and you can see how the artist used the side of the brush to create these wonderfully textured lines, almost like drypoint etching. In some areas he's built up the tone by hatching, adding depth and density to the figures. I like how the details emerge from the shadows. You can almost feel the heat rising from the ground in these washes. This kind of expressive mark-making reminds me of Egon Schiele's drawings, where the raw energy of the line conveys as much as the subject. Like Schiele, Freitag is interested in capturing the human form, not in a photographically realistic way, but with a sensitivity to the fleeting gestures and emotions. Art isn't about perfection, it's about a conversation.