A large pigeon had flown into her face 1907

Charles Robinson made "A large pigeon had flown into her face" with a light touch, building up the image with delicate marks. You can see the hand of the artist in the way the sky is rendered with gentle, almost tentative strokes. It’s fascinating how Robinson used the materiality of his medium to create a world that feels both whimsical and slightly unsettling. The texture of the paper comes through, giving the whole image a kind of ethereal quality. I’m drawn to the way the girl's neck stretches and curves, like a surreal vine reaching up to the sky. There’s a tension here, a sense of something not quite right, that I find really compelling. There’s something of Arthur Rackham in Robinson’s style, that same sense of playful darkness and love of fairytale imagery. But ultimately, Robinson's vision is all his own. And it reminds us that art is a conversation, a constant exchange of ideas and influences across time.