Twee profielen van Madeleine Deslandes 1890 - 1930

Philip Zilcken drew ‘Twee profielen van Madeleine Deslandes’ with graphite, allowing the powdery, smudgy quality of the material to evoke a softness and intimacy. Look how the graphite is layered, almost like a mist, to create the form. The texture and surface are key here, a delicate dance between precision and diffusion. Zilcken doesn't hide the process; rather, he celebrates it. You can almost see the artist's hand moving across the page, feeling for the shape, the light, the shadow. The second profile, lightly sketched below, gives the impression Zilcken was working through ideas, searching, questioning. There’s a sense of process that’s similar to Degas, who was also interested in the everyday, and in revealing the working methods behind the image. What strikes me most is the quietness of this piece. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t always need to shout to be heard.