Man with a Dagger 1916

Hans Richter made this sketch, “Man with a Dagger,” with graphite on paper. It’s all done with a shorthand notation, a kind of scrawl, a collection of lines. It looks like he’s trying to find something through drawing. I imagine Richter outside, maybe, in a field, trying to capture the energy of the landscape. You know, it’s kind of how a painter grabs a feeling and puts it down as quickly as possible. The marks are rough, like he’s wrestling with the image. He’s not precious about it, just trying to nail down what he’s seeing. It reminds me of some of my own sketches. I’m not trying to make a perfect picture but more like having a conversation with the paper. It’s like the art is always changing. It’s an ongoing exchange. That’s what keeps us all going.