Herdsboy 1930 - 1944

Arnold Peter Weisz-Kubínčan made this drawing, Herdsboy, with pastels. Look at how the colors meet, these strokes of brown, green, and red, creating a mood that’s both shadowy and bright. I can imagine him outside, working quickly, trying to capture a fleeting feeling. I wonder, what was he thinking about as he built up this image, layering colors to make the forest feel so dense and the sun so distant? The herdsboy in the foreground seems to be emerging from or disappearing into the woods. It reminds me of other artists, like Paula Modersohn-Becker, who were also trying to find a new way to depict rural life, and I can imagine them all in conversation, figuring out how to show what it feels like to be in nature. It’s kind of magical, right? It's a connection that transcends time.