Czóbel Béla Könyöklö Nő 1920 1920

In 1920, Bela Czobel made this drawing of a woman leaning on her elbow. You can see the marks of the charcoal dancing across the paper, as if his hand was trying to capture her essence in a fleeting moment. I imagine Czobel, pencil in hand, circling his subject, his gaze intense, trying to figure out the right balance of line and shadow. Look how the weight of her head rests in her hand, the shadow of her hair falling softly across her face. There’s a casualness to the pose, but also a sense of melancholy in her eyes. What was she thinking? What was he thinking? You see the economy of line, each stroke doing so much work. It reminds me a little of Matisse, or even some of the early expressionists. Artists are always in dialogue, riffing off one another, borrowing, stealing, transforming. This drawing isn't just a portrait, it’s a little window into a moment, a feeling, an exchange between artist and muse. And now, between us.