Convalescents 1915

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen made this drawing, titled 'Convalescents' in 1915. It’s a humble drawing made with humble materials, pencil on paper, a medium ready to hand, a study perhaps, or a drawing made for pleasure. The beauty of a drawing like this lies in the process, the accumulation of marks, the visible decisions and corrections. Look at the man on the left, leaning against the wall, see how the artist has built up the shadow on his coat with hundreds of tiny strokes. This conveys a sense of weight, of weariness, but also of care. The artist is thinking as he draws, and we the viewers get to see the results of that thinking in the build-up of tone and the articulation of form. It reminds me a little of the drawings of Daumier, especially in its sympathy for the working classes. But also, it speaks to the way art can show us how to see, and how to feel. It embraces vulnerability, leaving space for interpretation, encouraging us to see these men not just as figures but as individuals with their own stories and experiences.