De Engelschman 1923

Erich Wichmann made this drawing, ‘De Engelschman’, using graphite on paper in 1923. What strikes me first is the way Wichmann coaxes the form out of the page with such a delicate touch. It’s like he's feeling his way through the image. The texture of the paper comes through, giving the drawing a soft, almost dreamy quality. The lines are faint, searching, and there is a real vulnerability in that approach. Look at the eyes, they're barely there, just a suggestion of depth. It's the kind of drawing where you get the sense that the artist is trying to capture something fleeting, something almost imperceptible. This reminds me of some of Alberto Giacometti’s drawings – the way he’d build up a form with layer upon layer of delicate lines, capturing the essence of a figure rather than its precise likeness. With art, there is no one way to see or understand a work. It is more about what it stirs up in you.